Flexible Working

Diane Abbott: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what assessment the Government has made of the merits of encouraging employers to advertise posts as available for flexible working to help lone parents and carers back into the workplace; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The benefits of advertising posts as available for flexible working are to give employers access to a bigger pool of potential employees, including lone parents and carers. The Minister for Women Ruth Kelly opened a debate on how to take flexible working into account in the recruitment process in a speech to employers on 16 May 2007 at the Work Wise UK Summit 2007. Many employers already advertise posts as suitable for job share or flexible hours and there are specialist recruitment agencies which bring together people looking for flexible work and the jobs that can be done flexibly, but these are still the exception.

Armed Conflict: Journalism

Don Foster: To ask the Solicitor-General what  (a) correspondence and  (b) discussions the Law Officers' Departments have had with (i) European counterparts and (ii) others to seek the earliest possible compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1738, on the protection of journalists in armed conflict; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: None.

Armed Conflict: Journalism

Don Foster: To ask the Solicitor-General what steps have been taken by the Law Officers' Departments to ensure the UK's compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1738, on the protection of journalists in armed conflict; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The United Kingdom takes seriously its obligations, under international humanitarian law, to protect journalists and other civilians in situations of armed conflict and already has in place the necessary measures to ensure compliance. The Law Officers' departments have not been required to take additional steps following the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1738 (2006).

Departments: Credit Cards

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was spent by staff in his Department via departmental  (a) credit,  (b) procurement and  (c) fuel cards in each of the last three years.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office does not have fuel cards.
	Corporate credit cards were introduced in the Wales office in April 2004.
	The amount spent on corporate credit cards is as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2004-05 1,213.41 
			 2005-06 4,371.46 
			 2006-07 13,950.40 
		
	
	Information on the Government procurement card is not kept in this format and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Increased spending on credit cards is the result of an active programme within the Wales Office to encourage their use. This has produced significant savings on processing and transaction costs. As such, the increase reflects greater usage of cards, rather than increased overall spend.

National Audit Office Reports

Norman Baker: To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission what recent reports the Commission has considered from the appointed auditor of the National Audit Office; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Williams: The Public Accounts Commission considers each year, usually in July, the auditors' report on the national Audit Office's annual resource account and on the NAO's statement on the financial impact of its work. It also considers at the same time the auditors' annual value for money examination of an aspect of the Office's operations. This was last done in July 2006. The Commission expects to receive the next set of reports from the auditors in July this year.

Dietary Supplements: EC Law

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps have recently been taken by officials  (a) of her Department and  (b) of the Better Regulation Executive to ensure that the Government's objectives for the interpretation and implementation of the Food Supplements Directive are met.

Patrick McFadden: Cabinet Office officials, including from the Better Regulation Executive, have worked closely with the Food Standards Agency to help deliver the Government's objectives on the Food Supplements Directive, in particular on the issue of maximum permitted levels for minerals and vitamins under Article 5 of the Directive. Cabinet Office officials have also worked with the Food Standards Agency on preparing a stakeholder consultation on an initial Regulation Impact Assessment with respect to food supplements.

Pensions: Civil Service

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the present rate is employer contributions to Civil Service Scheme pension scheme are; what estimate she has made of the cost savings for each year from 2008 to 2050 of capping the employer contribution at 14 per cent.; and if she will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 27 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 345-46W. The rates of employer contributions have not changed, but the salary bands referred to in the answer were revalorised from 1 April 2007 by the Scheme Actuary.
	I have not made any estimates of the cost savings arising from capping the employer contribution at 14 per cent.

Service Transformation Board

Margaret Moran: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what assessment she has made of the performance of the Service Transformation Board have been.

Patrick McFadden: The Service Transformation Board—now re-constituted as the Delivery Council—consists of officials with responsibilities for business delivery of transformation. It worked in partnership with the Chief Information Officers' (CIO) Council on the transformation of Citizen and Business Centred Services set out in the "Transformational Government (Cm 6683) report"; its initial achievements were reported in "Transformational Government: Annual Report 2006" (Cm 6970). The Delivery Council is now supporting Ministers and the Civil Service Steering Board in the next stages of the Transformational Government strategy including the implementation of Sir David Varney's report "Service Transformation: A better service for citizens and businesses, a better deal for the taxpayer".

V

Greg Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 46W, on V, what definition she uses of a volunteering opportunity.

Edward Miliband: v's definition of a volunteering opportunity is available on their website at:
	http://www.wearev.com/vlearning/index.php
	a copy of which I place in the Library for the reference of Members.

Saudi Arabia: Arms Trade

David Laws: To ask the Prime Minister what advice he sought from the heads of the UK's security and intelligence agencies in relation to the impact on national security and foreign policy objectives in the Middle East of the investigation by the Serious Fraud Office into the al-Yamamah defence sales contract; when such advice was requested; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my hon. Friend the Solicitor-General on 14 December 2006,  Official Report, columns 1119-20, and to his response during the debate on 7 February 2007,  Official Report, columns 875-76.

Sexual Offences

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases of sexual assault were reported in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years  (a) in total,  (b) in each parliamentary constituency and  (c) in each council area.

Paul Goggins: I have been advised by the PSNI that statistics are collected by District Command Units which are coterminous with council areas. These statistics are set out in the following table. The data is not collated by other areas and therefore not available broken down by parliamentary constituency.
	
		
			  Sexual offences recorded by PSNI 
			   Sexual assaults 
			  PSNI District Command Units  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Antrim 22 33 44 
			 Ards 39 57 43 
			 East Belfast 66 46 63 
			 North Belfast 75 72 66 
			 South Belfast 94 90 99 
			 West Belfast 45 38 45 
			 Carrickfergus 24 14 25 
			 Castlereagh 15 31 28 
			 Larne 27 14 16 
			 Lisburn 65 69 78 
			 Newtownabbey 49 51 54 
			 North Down 40 49 46 
			 Urban region total 561 564 607 
			 
			 Armagh 26 26 25 
			 Ballymena 46 58 48 
			 Ballymoney 13 13 14 
			 Banbridge 21 18 19 
			 Coleraine 42  58 
			 Cookstown 12 17 14 
			 Craigavon 46 67 54 
			 Down 31 42 32 
			 Dungannon and South Tyrone 28 21 28 
			 Fermanagh 31 24 43 
			 Foyle 115 139 135 
			 Limavady 25 23 32 
			 Magherafelt 18 21 24 
			 Moyle 11 12 6 
			 Newry and Mourne 36 35 47 
			 Omagh 36 38 49 
			 Strabane 28 23 35 
			 Rural region total 565 635 647 
			 
			 Northern Ireland 1,126 1,199 1,254 
			  Note: Sexual assault includes the following offences: rape, attempted rape, indecent assault on a female, indecent assault on a female child, indecent assault on a male, indecent assault on a male child.

Departments: Dalits

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of his Department's locally employed staff in India are of Dalit origin; and at what level they are employed.

Gareth Thomas: DFID's locally engaged staff in India are recruited directly by our office in New Delhi. It's recruitment policy states that DFID does not discriminate on the basis of sex, caste, ethnicity, religion or other diversity criteria. However, we do not ask applicants or new recruits to provide information about their background because of the sensitivities involved in India, especially with regard to caste.
	We are therefore unable to provide the information requested.

Departments: Public Participation

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many public consultations his Department undertook in the last 12 months; and what the cost was of each consultation.

Gareth Thomas: Over the 12 months up to end-May 2007, DFID launched 15 formal public consultations on its public website in order to inform the Department's policy development.
	Information on the cost of each consultation and the total cost of all consultations, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The consultations launched were:
	DFID health strategy
	Country Strategy for DFID Sierra Leone
	DFID Ethiopia Country Assistance Plan
	DFID Tanzania Country Assistance Plan
	DFID Pakistan Country Assistance Plan
	Updating "Taking Action—the UK's strategy for tackling AIDS in the developing world"
	DFID's work in Latin America 2008 to 2011
	DFID Regional Assistance Plan for the Caribbean
	Linking Scheme—investing in raising the levels of awareness about global issues among the UK public
	DFID and Volunteering
	Equality for Disabled People 9this was a cross-Whitehall consultation0
	DFID Vietnam Country Assistance Plan
	DFID Ghana Country Assistance Plan
	DFID India Country Assistance Plan
	Preventing Violent Conflict Policy Paper

Ethiopia: Health Services

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support his Department provided to health systems in  (a) Liberia and  (b) Ethiopia in each of the last five years.

Hilary Benn: As outlined in the new DFID health strategy "Working together for Better health", assisting countries to strengthen their health services is a UK priority.
	In Ethiopia, DFID provided direct budget support to the Government in support of its poverty reduction strategy from January 2003 to March 2005. This included £2.9 million for strengthening of the national health system and delivery of health care. Between June 2006 and end March 2007, DFID provided a grant of £8.7 million for the Protection of Basic Services, to help fund the recurrent costs of delivering basic health care services and the procurement of key commodities including vaccines, malaria drugs, bednets and contraceptives. Since 2005, DFID has committed a total of £145,000 to a multi-donor fund to cover costs of technical assistance, studies, consultations and meetings that are crucial to the implementation of Ethiopia's Health Sector Development Programme.
	In Liberia DFID has been providing humanitarian support for health services since 2003 through Save the Children, Merlin and other NGOs. They have focused on providing basic services, working closely with County Health Teams. These Teams will take on increasing responsibility for health service management and delivery through training and carrying out joint supervision of health facilities. DFID's support to NGOs in Liberia is structured around supporting public healthcare systems to be delivered free to the patient. As well as building capacity to strengthen systems, the support ensures payment of staff and provision of drugs.
	DFID will provide up to £8 million over the next two years for building and strengthening systems at the central level. This includes support to the Ministry of Health to establish strong financial management and contributing to a proposed multi-donor fund to support Liberia to strengthen its health systems under its National Health Plan. DFID will continue to support NGOs to cover critical gaps in the provision of healthcare with increasing focus on transfer of leadership to the Government.
	In Liberia, DFID bilateral expenditure on health in 2002-03 to 2006-07 was:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2002-03 (1)0.0 
			 2003-04 0.6 
			 2004-05 0.8 
			 2005-06 1.5 
			 2006-07 (2)1.7 
			 (1 )Actual spend of £38,000 (2) Provisional 
		
	
	This is expected to increase to around £3-£4 million for 2007-08 and 2008-09.

Pakistan: Overseas Aid

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid his Department gave to Pakistan in each of the last five years; and what planned expenditure is for the next three years.

Gareth Thomas: The total DFID bilateral expenditure to Pakistan in each of the last five financial years is set out in table 1 following, alongside projections for 2007-08.
	
		
			  Table 1: DFID bilateral expenditure to Pakistan 
			   Expenditure  (£000) 
			 2002-03 38,314 
			 2003-04 66,240 
			 2004-05 31,377 
			 2005-06 97,413 
			 2006-07 (1)101,118 
			 2007-08 (2)101,000 
			 (1) Provisional. (2) Projection. 
		
	
	Projections beyond 2007-08 will not be available until the Comprehensive Spending Review is concluded later this year.
	UK funding to multilateral institutions cannot be directly attributed to any country; however table 2 contains estimates of the UK's imputed shares of multilateral aid to Pakistan. These estimates are based on the UK's funding of each multilateral institution and each multilateral's distribution of aid to Pakistan. They are only available on a calendar year basis.
	
		
			  Table 2: imputed UK share of multilateral aid to Pakistan for 2001 - 05 
			   Imputed aid  (£000) 
			 2002 28,343 
			 2003 34,391 
			 2004 27,729 
			 2005 43,968 
			  Note: The list of multilateral organisations used in the production of these data is not exhaustive; the multilateral analysed are those that provide the Development Assistance Committee with detailed information about their distribution of funds to Pakistan and to whom DFID provided funds over the period. 
		
	
	Data for 2006 are not yet available.

UN

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the creation of one UN teams in the developing world.

Gareth Thomas: In 2006, the UN Secretary-General set up a High Level Panel (HLP) on UN System-wide Coherence. The Panel, with the Chancellor's participation, reported in November 2006 with recommendations to improve the UN's position and response to new global development challenges, and to achieve greater efficiency and co-ordination. This included the establishment of 'One UN' pilots at country level. The pilots are testing an approach based on one integrated UN programme with one consolidated budget, managed by one UN leader (the Resident Co-ordinator), where appropriate housed in one UN location. The aim is to create a genuinely united nations at country level, operating in partnership with, and responding directly to the needs of developing countries in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
	'One UN' is currently being piloted in eight countries: Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Pakistan, Vietnam (all priorities for the UK), Cape Verde, Uruguay and Albania. The HLP recommended that the programme expand to up to 40 countries by 2010. DFID is working closely with country offices, governments, and the UN system to ensure that 'One UN' is successful. Progress is already being made in aligning the UN with national priorities, in greater efficiency and in taking the necessary change management steps. DFID is working closely with partners and the UN system to ensure robust monitoring and evaluation processes are in place, so that lessons learned and best practice are fully utilised in future 'One UN' countries.

Arts: National Lottery

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much National Lottery arts funding  (a) Northern Ireland,  (b) Scotland,  (c) Wales and  (d) England received per capita in each of the last five years.

Richard Caborn: The series of tables show the per capita figures for the last five financial years for Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England where the good cause is recorded as Arts. The search is location specific. That is the tables include only grants that are specific to location in the region and exclude grants that might have gone to addresses in the region, but are not otherwise related to it.
	The value of grants is taken from the Lottery grants database which uses information supplied by the Lottery distributors. The population figures used are from the mid 2005 estimates of the Office of National Statistics.
	
		
			  Northern Ireland (population 1,724,400) 
			  Year (financial)  Value of grants (£)  Per capita (£ and pence) rounded to nearest pence 
			 2006-07 6,356,403.00 3.69 
			 2005-06 7,705,824.00 4.47 
			 2004-05 13,084,472.00 7.59 
			 2003-04 9,227,349.00 5.35 
			 2002-03 8,179,712.00 4.75 
		
	
	
		
			  Scotland (population 5,094,800) 
			  Year (financial)  Value of grants  (£)  Per capita (£ and pence) rounded to nearest pence 
			 2006-07 7,932,977.00 1.56 
			 2005-06 3,292,654.00 0.65 
			 2004-05 14,325,425.00 2.81 
			 2003-04 14,175,818.00 2.78 
			 2002-03 22,557,933.00 4.43 
		
	
	
		
			  Wales (population 2,958,600) 
			  Year (financial)  Value of grants  (£)  Per capita (£ and pence) rounded to nearest pence 
			 2006-07 9,152,897.00 3.09 
			 2005-06 9,417,341.00 3.18 
			 2004-05 13,030,050.00 4.40 
			 2003-04 10,610,305.00 3.59 
			 2002-03 8,054,723.00 2.72 
		
	
	
		
			  England (population 50,431,700) 
			  Year (financial)  Value of grants (£)  Per capita (£ and pence) rounded to nearest pence 
			 2006-07 19,584,802.00 0.39 
			 2005-06 3,176,531.00 0.06 
			 2004-05 25,270,229 0.50 
			 2003-04 111,049,139.00 2.20 
			 2002-03 70,285,451.00 1.39 
		
	
	The Department's Lottery grant database is searchable at www.lottery.culture.gov.uk and uses information supplied by the Lottery distributors.

Sports: Hearing Impaired

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations her Department has received about continued funding for UK Deaf Sport; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The Department has received correspondence from Craig Crowley, chair of UK Deaf Sport, most recently in April 2007. Mr. Crowley expressed his disappointment at UK Sport's decision not to fund his organisation and asked that UK Sport review the decision.
	Since we won the right to host the 2012 Olympic games, UK Sport has revised its strategy, and it is now primarily focused on supporting Olympic and Paralympic sports. However its World Class Pathway Programme does not discriminate against deaf athletes, and there are already some talented deaf athletes on the Pathway who will continue to receive the support they need to succeed at the very highest level.
	In my reply to his letter, I suggested Mr. Crowley contact each of the Home County Sports Councils to see if they would be prepared to fund UK Deaf Sport for the Deaflympics, and to obtain advice on alternative sources of potential funding.

Departments: Aviation

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many flights to overseas destinations were taken by  (a) civil servants and  (b) Ministers in his Department in each of the last three calendar years; and what the total cost of such flights were.

Barry Gardiner: This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Since 1999, the Government have published on an annual basis, a list of all overseas visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500, as well as the total cost of all ministerial travel overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. Information for 2006-07 is currently being compiled and will be published before the summer recess. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code, the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.

Departments: Marketing

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which advertising and marketing campaigns were run by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years; which external agencies were involved; and what the cost was of each campaign.

Barry Gardiner: The total expenditure of the Department's Communication Directorate on marketing activity for each of the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			   Expenditure (£) 
			 2002 3,747,138.54 
			 2003 2,380,639.81 
			 2004 3,285,228.17 
			 2005 3,190,869.12 
			 2006 2,576,335.49 
		
	
	From its inception to 2003-04, the Department did not record separate costs for campaigns as part of its communications expenditure.
	For details of advertising campaigns, costs and external agencies involved from 2004-05 to 2006-07, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 1655-56W, to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps). The Department procures its advertising services from the Central Office of Information (COI). Advertising agencies are selected from the COI rosters and supply their services to the COI, not to DEFRA directly.
	For details of public relations campaigns, costs and external agencies involved from 2004-05 to 2006-07, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1654-55Ws, to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) The Department procures its public relations services from the Central Office of Information (COI). Public relations agencies are selected from the COI rosters and supply their services to the COI, not to DEFRA directly.
	For costs for DEFRA's delivery bodies, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 6 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 1820-23W, by the Minister of State (Ian Pearson) to the hon. Member for Cheltenham (Martin Horwood).

Domestic Wastes: Waste Disposal

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the comments made by the Minister of State for Sustainable Farming and Food on 10 May 2007, House of Lords,  Official Report, column 1534, 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the increase in fly-tipping resulting from the move to alternate weekly collections of household rubbish;
	(2)  what requirements local authorities who move to alternate weekly collections of household rubbish will have to take extra steps to tackle fly-tipping.

Ben Bradshaw: My Department has not made any assessment of fly-tipping incidents resulting from local authorities moving to alternate weekly collections of household waste.
	There is currently no evidence that switching to alternate weekly collection of household waste results in an increase in fly tipping incidents.
	Any changes to waste collection methods that are poorly implemented may increase the risk of fly-tipping. However, DEFRA actively encourages local authorities to have fly-tipping prevention and enforcement strategies in place, regardless of whether they introduce alternate weekly collections or not.
	My Department is currently in discussions with the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to consider whether they could work with any local authorities that are introducing these schemes in the future to carry out some pre, and post, scheme analysis of fly-tipping. This is in addition to the guidance that WRAP is currently updating on alternate weekly collections, in order to minimise nuisance and health risks.
	It is the responsibility of each local authority to determine what works best for their own community, rather than central Government.
	My Department is currently consulting on proposals to give local authorities the freedom to introduce financial incentive schemes to encourage recycling and minimisation of waste by householders. This consultation seeks views on what controls, if any, Government should place on local authorities before allowing them to introduce such incentive schemes. We have proposed that there should be a requirement for local authorities who use these powers to have fly-tipping prevention and enforcement strategies in place.

Eggs: Labelling

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to ensure clear labelling of eggs produced from battery cage hens.

Ben Bradshaw: The rules for marketing Class A eggs for consumption are agreed at the European level. Each egg must be stamped with various details relating to its origin and including a code identifying the method of production. Packs or displays of Class A eggs must also be labelled with the production method and an explanation of the code on the eggs. Together, these enable the consumer to determine whether an egg is organic, free range, barn, or from a caged hen.
	These rules are actively enforced in England from the primary production through packing to distribution by Animal Health 'Egg Marketing Inspectors' and by local authorities at retail and catering level.

Electronic Equipment: Recycling

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for North Cornwall (Dan Rogerson) of 27 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1342W, on electronic equipment: recycling, what mechanisms the Government hope will be established to provide for the expected increase in recycling of  (a) metals,  (b) plastics and  (c) other materials.

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
	The UK has existing treatment capacity for many types of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). For example, we have some of the largest and most modern fridge treatment facilities in Europe and are currently importing fridges from France and the Republic of Ireland. We have growing capacity for the treatment of TVs and monitors with cathode ray tubes (CRTs) and good treatment capacity for lamps and fluorescent tubes. The capacity in these areas has been prompted by the requirements of the Ozone Depleting Substances Regulations (in the case of fridges and freezers) and the Hazardous Waste Regulations in the case of other types of hazardous WEEE.
	Since the WEEE UK Regulations were laid on 12 December 2006 this existing infrastructure has been further enhanced, with investments of over £15 million across the UK. This investment includes plants in South Wales, Bedfordshire, Kent and Birmingham which will be capable of handling in excess of and additional 250,000 tonnes of WEEE material.

Energy: Conservation

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what powers his Department has  (a) to advise,  (b) to encourage and  (c) to compel businesses to minimise energy and electricity consumption during non-business times in order (i) to improve energy efficiency, (ii) to minimise environmental damage and (iii) to reduce light pollution.

Ian Pearson: DEFRA funds the Carbon Trust, who work closely with business to encourage sustainable use of energy, establish energy efficient practices and systems, and develop low carbon technologies. Under its Solutions programme the trust advises businesses on cutting carbon emissions through reducing energy use, including advice on switching off lighting and equipment during non-business times. The Carbon Trust holds free lighting workshops, and produces a number of publications specifically focused on lighting in the business sector.
	The Secretary of State has the power to enter in to climate change agreements (CCAs) with industry sectors and individual companies that meet certain eligibility conditions. CCAs give entitlement to claim an 80 per cent. discount from the Climate Change Levy in return for meeting challenging energy efficiency or carbon emissions reductions targets. The targets apply regardless of when energy is used.
	In addition, as part of the Energy White Paper, the Government announced that it would be taking forward the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC). The CRC is a mandatory emissions trading scheme that will target energy use emissions from large non-energy intensive commercial and public sector organisations, such as supermarkets, banks, large local authorities and Government Departments.
	This sector accounts for around 10 per cent. of the UK's carbon emissions and is rising. There is scope for significant abatement. The CRC will deliver emissions reductions of 1.1 MtC per year by 2020 from this sector. It would encourage organisations to minimise their energy use by placing a cap on their overall energy use emissions.
	We will be publishing a consultation document shortly on the detail of how the proposed CRC can best be implemented.
	Stronger powers were provided to local authorities to tackle light pollution under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005. The Act extends the statutory nuisance regime enabling local authorities to issue abatement notices, and individuals to take private action through the magistrate's court.

Energy: Meters

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will meet industry representatives to discuss smart metering and the Energy White Paper.

Ian Pearson: My Department hold regular meetings with industry representatives to discuss a range of issues, including smart metering and the proposals in the Energy White Paper.

Fly-tipping

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate the Environment Agency has made of the  (a) number of incidents and  (b) tonnage of fly-tipping and illegal dumping in England in each of the last three years.

Ben Bradshaw: Flycapture, the national database of fly-tipping incidents, was set up in 2004 by DEFRA, the Environment Agency and the Local Government Association, to record fly-tipping incidents dealt with by the Environment Agency and local authorities.
	Flycapture data shows that, in England, 926,534 incidents were reported in the period from April 2004 to March 2005. There were 2,509,976 incidents reported from April 2005 to March 2006.
	A possible reason for the rise in fly-tipping offences recorded by Flycapture in its second year may simply be due to better reporting and a rise in the number of local authorities in England submitting regular returns. This number rose significantly, from 79.5 per cent. in April 2004 when the database was first launched, to 92 per cent. in 2005-06. Over time, the database will help us build up a more accurate picture of illegally dumped waste, as well as providing a useful management tool for local authorities in tackling the problem.
	Data for 2006-07 are not yet available but will be published this summer. Flycapture does not record fly-tipping tonnages.

Lorries: Exhaust Emissions

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact of heavy goods vehicle traffic on  (a) air quality management areas,  (b) special protection areas,  (c) sites of special scientific interest and  (d) sites of importance for nature conservation.

Barry Gardiner: Road traffic has been identified as a significant source of pollution in 95 per cent. of the air quality management areas (designated by local authorities) declared so far.
	Local air quality assessments include a basic screening process to determine vehicles' impact on air quality. Typically, this considers traffic as consisting only of light and heavy duty vehicle types, assigning average levels of emissions to each of these in order to model their air quality impact on the surrounding area. Although this method does not apportion a fraction of the overall level of air pollutants directly to specific classes of vehicles, such as heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), it does ensure that their emissions are represented in the assessment.
	Should the screening process identify a likely failure of air quality objectives, a further, more detailed level of assessment is undertaken to establish whether an air quality management Area is necessary. These methods of assessment all consider the specific contribution of HGVs to ambient air pollution.
	No specific national assessment of the impact of HGV traffic has been made for the areas mentioned in  (b), (c) and  (d). Terrestrial special protection areas are also notified as sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs). Natural England data on the reasons for unfavourable condition on SSSIs identifies that 18,524 hectares of SSSI land are adversely affected by air pollution. However the impacts of air pollution and identification of air pollution as an adverse activity affecting site condition are currently considered to be under reported. Furthermore SSSI condition is not disaggregated to identify different sources of air pollution. Individual assessments of the impact from air pollution have been made in respect of specific sites.

Organic Food

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to consult on his agreement with EU ministers to adopt common standards for organic food across the EU.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 20 June 2007
	We consulted widely on the new regulation between its presentation by the Commission at the end of 2005 and its agreement by the Council of Ministers on the 12 June 2007. We plan to repeat this level of engagement during the development of the detailed implementing rules. The European Commission also plan to launch a public consultation on the implementing rules after the summer.

Poultry: Animal Feed

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  whether poultry feed containing poultry parts may be imported into the UK;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effects of the feeding of dead poultry parts to poultry on the risk of infection of  (a) avian influenza and  (b) other conditions;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the tonnage of feed for poultry which was recycled from dead poultry parts in England in the most recent 12 months for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: Under EU-wide Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE)-related feed ban controls, introduced in 2001, most processed animal proteins, including those derived from poultry, have been prohibited from use in any farmed animal feed. This builds on longer-standing controls on mammalian-derived processed animal proteins.
	Separate controls, in place since 2002 under the EU Animal By-Products Regulation, prohibit processed animal proteins from being recycled back to the same species they are derived from. These controls mean that feeding poultry using recycled processed animal protein derived from dead poultry is not permitted, either in the UK or in any other member state. Additionally, no poultry feed containing processed animal protein derived from poultry may be imported either into the UK, or into any other member state.
	Neither pigs nor poultry, as naturally omnivorous animals, have been shown in experiments to be orally susceptible to BSE, and no naturally occurring Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy have yet been identified in these species. Nevertheless, the principle of preventing intra-species recycling of processed animal protein in feed will continue to apply to all farmed animal species both now and in the future.

Whales: Conservation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to ensure the conservation of whales.

Ben Bradshaw: The UK has been, and will remain, at the forefront of the fight to ensure that anti-whaling countries do not restart commercial whaling or reduce the level of protection for cetaceans species around the world.
	At this year's annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), the UK and other anti-whaling countries were able to secure a resolution that reaffirmed the continued need for the IWC moratorium on commercial whaling. This resolution subsequently served us well in the Conference of Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, enabling us to defeat proposals aimed at eventually allowing trade in whale products to take place.

Armed Forces: Buildings

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost was of repairs and maintenance at properties occupied by the Assistant Chief of the General Staff in 2006.

Derek Twigg: Both the current and former Assistant Chief of General Staff occupied the same Substitute Service Accommodation in 2006 for which the Department paid a rent to a private provider. The provider is responsible for carrying-out the required repairs and maintenance at the property, but is not required to provide MOD with details of the costs of doing so, which are included in the rent.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which  (a) Army,  (b) Royal Navy and  (c) Royal Air Force units were deployed for longer than four months in each of the last 10 years; and on how many occasions.

Adam Ingram: The information requested is as follows.
	 (a) The standard operational tour length for the Army is six months therefore, over the last 10 years the majority of Army units (that is Infantry, Royal Armoured Corps, Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers, Royal Signals and Royal Logistic Corps) will have deployed for longer than four months. Based on data held at HQ Land Command the table illustrates when, between 2003 and 2007, Infantry, Royal Armoured Corps and Royal Artillery units deployed on an operation which was longer than four months. Deployments are noted in the year they commenced.
	
		
			Number of Deployments longer than four months 
			  Ser  Unit Deployed  2003  2004  2005  2006 ( 1) 2007 
			   Infantry  
			 1 1(st) Battalion Grenadier Guards 0 1 0 0 1 
			 2 1(st) Battalion Coldstream Guards 0 0 1 0 0 
			 3 1(st) Battalion Scots Guards 0 1 0 0 0 
			 4 1(st) Battalion Irish Guards 1 0 0 0 1 
			 5 1(st) Battalion Welsh Guards 0 1 0 1 0 
			 6 1(st) Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (1 RS)(3) 2 (one of which commenced November 2002) 0 0 1 0 (As l Scots) 
			 7 1(st) Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland (1 KOSB)(3) 0 0 0 0  
			 8 2(nd) Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland 0 0 0 0 0 
			 9 3(rd) Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland 1 0 1 (2)0 0 
			 10 4(th) Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland 1 1 0 0 0 
			 11 5(th) Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland 0 1 1 0 0 
			 12 1(st) Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment 0 1 0 1 0 
			 13 2(nd) Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment 1 0 1 0 0 
			 14 1(st) Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (2)1 0 1 0 0 
			 15 2(nd) Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers 0 0 (2)0 0 0 
			 16 1(st) Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment 0 0 1 0 1 
			 17 2(nd) Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment 1 0 0 1 0 
			 18 1(st) Battalion The King's Own Royal Border Regiment(4) 0 0 1 — — 
			 19 1st Battalion The King's Regiment(4) 0 (2)0 0 — — 
			 20 1(st) Battalion The Queen's Lancashire Regiment(4) 0 (2)0 (2)0 — — 
			 21 1(st) Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment — — — 0 0 
			 22 2(nd) Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment — — — 1 0 
			 23 1(st) Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment 0 1 0 1 0 
			 24 2(nd) Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment 0 1 0 1 0 
			 25 3(rd) Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment (2)0 1 0 0 0 
			 26 1(st )Battalion The Royal Welsh 0 1 0 0 1 
			 27 2(nd) Battalion The Royal Welsh 1 0 1 0 1 
			 28 1(st) Battalion The Cheshire Regiment (1 MERCIAN) 0 1 0 0 0 
			 29 1(st) Battalion The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment (2 MERCIAN) 1 1 0 0 1 
			 30 1(st) Battalion The Staffordshire Regiment (3 MERCIAN) 1 (commenced November 2002) 0 1 1 0 
			 31 1(st) Battalion The Rifles (1RGBW)(5) 1 (commenced December 2002) 0 1 0 0 (as 1 RIFLES 
			 32 1(st) Battalion The Rifles (1 DDLI)(5) 0 0 0 1  
			 33 2(nd) Battalion The Rifles 0 1 0 1 0 
			 34 3(rd) Battalion The Rifles (2)0 1 0 (2)0 0 
			 35 4(th) Battalion The Rifles 0 0 0 0 1 
			 36 5(th) Battalion The Rifles 1 0 0 1 0 
			 37 1(st )Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment 0 0 1 0 0 
			 38 1(st) Battalion The Parachute Regiment 1 0 1   
			 39 2(nd) Battalion The Parachute Regiment 1 (commenced September 2002) 0 1 0 0 
			 40 3(rd) Battalion The Parachute Regiment 1 0 (2)0 1 0 
			 41 1(st) Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles 1 0 1 0 0 
			 42 2(nd) Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles 1 0 1 0 0 
			
			   Royal Armoured Corps  
			 43 The Household Cavalry Regiment (2)0 1 0 (2)0 (2)0 
			 44 1(st) The Queen's Dragoon Guards 1 1 0 1 0 
			 45 The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards 1 0 1 0 0 
			 46 The Royal Dragoon Guards 0 1 0 0 0 
			 47 The Queen's Royal Hussars 1 (2)0 0 1 0 
			 48 9(th)/12(th) Royal Lancers (2)1 0 1 0 0 
			 49 The King's Royal Hussars 1 0 1 0 (2)0 
			 50 The Light Dragoons 0 0 1 (2)0 (2)0 
			 51 The Queen's Royal Lancers 0 1 0 1 0 
			 52 2(nd) Royal Tank Regiment (2)0 0 0 (2)0 (2)0 
			
			   Royal Artillery  
			 53 1 Regt RHA 0 1 1 0 1 
			 54 3 Regt RHA 2 0 1 0 0 
			 55 4 Regt RA 1 1 0 1 0 
			 56 5 Regt RA (2)0 (2)0 (2)0 (2)0 (2)0 
			 57 7 (Parachute) Regt RHA 1 (2)0 0 (2)0 0 
			 58 12 Regt RA 1 0 1 (2)0 0 
			 59 16 Regt RA (2)0 0 0 0 (2)0 
			 60 19 Regt RA 0 0 1 0 1 
			 61 22 Regt RA(7) 1 — — — — 
			 62 26 Regt RA 1 1 0 (2)0 0 
			 63 29 Commando Regt RA 0 0 0 1 0 
			 64 32 Regt RA (2)0 (2)0 (2)0 (2)0 (2)0 
			 65 39 Regt RA 0 0 0 1 (2)0 
			 66 40 Regt RA 0 0 0 1 0 
			 67 47 Regt RA 1 0 (2)0 1 0 
			 (1 )Up to and including deployments on Op TELIC 10 and Op HERRICK 6. (2) Subunits from this Regiment deployed for longer than 4 months in support of operations during this year. (3) 1 RS and 1 KOSB amalgamated to form 1 SCOTS in August 2006. (4) 1 KORBR, 1 KINGS and QLR amalgamated in July 2006 to form 1 LANCS and 2 LANCS. (5) 1 RGBW and 1 DDLI amalgamated in March 2007 to form 1 RIFLES. (6) 1 PARA transferred to DSF in August 2005. (7) 22 Regt RA disbanded in April 2004. 
		
	
	 (b) From 2003, the Royal Navy reports that the number of surface ships that were deployed for more than four months in each of the corresponding years were:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2003 40 
			 2004 32 
			 2005 34 
			 2006 38 
			 2007 41 
		
	
	Average fleet size over this period was around 72 ships (68 in 2003 to 77 in 2007). A more detailed break down could be provided at only disproportionate cost.
	 (c) The Royal Air Force does not deploy units in the same way as the Royal Navy and Army. The Royal Air Force allocates a tasking to an Expeditionary Air Wing for a given period of time to a given theatre of operations. An Air Wing once given the task will deploy personnel from a number of different squadrons on a trickle feed basis. Individual Separated Service figures are therefore used instead to measure turbulence and sustainability.

Armed Forces: Housing

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many armed forces personnel who have been discharged from service in the last 12 months are looking for housing; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many armed forces personnel have been affected by the issue of local connection when looking for housing upon being discharged from service during the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many armed forces personnel have reported being affected by housing shortages upon leaving the armed forces during the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence does not hold the information requested.
	On "local connection", my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and I announced on 21 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 107-08WS, that the Government will be amending the housing legislation to ensure that Service personnel are put on an equal footing with others applying for social housing. Also, the MOD continues to work closely with DCLG and other partners to help prevent new Service leavers becoming homeless, and to provide a safety net for existing vulnerable and homeless ex-Service personnel.

Armed Forces: Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the earliest age is at which a member of the armed services can receive a full pension; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The expression 'full pension' is taken to mean a pension reflecting the maximum amount of reckonable service allowed under the pension scheme rules. As the majority of service personnel belong to either the armed forces pension scheme 1975 (AFPS 75) or the armed forces pension scheme 2005 (AFPS 05) my answer is in respect of those schemes.
	Under AFPS 75 the most an officer can accrue is 34 years reckonable service from age 21 and, for an other rank, the limit is 37 years reckonable service from age 18. The earliest that a full pension can be paid is age 55 and this full pension is worth 48.5 per cent. of representative pay.
	Officers who leave having accrued at least 16 years reckonable service from age 21 under AFPS 75 and other ranks who leave having accrued at least 22 years from age 18 are entitled to a pension paid immediately upon discharge but this is a proportion of the full career pension. Those who leave with two or more years service but insufficient to qualify for this immediate pension are awarded a preserved pension payable at age 60 for service before 6 April 2006 and 65 for service after that date.
	Under AFPS 05 the most that a member can accrue is 40 years reckonable service with no minimum age limit. The normal full pension entitlement is age 55. A full pension under AFPS 05 is worth just over 57 per cent. of final pensionable pay.
	AFPS 05 members who leave before age 55 with two or more years reckonable service are entitled to a preserved pension payable at age 65. Those who have given at least 18 years reckonable service and attained age 40 are eligible for payments from the early departure payments scheme. Their pensions are preserved until age 65.
	Finally, members of the armed forces do not typically serve to age 55 or beyond. In 2005-06 approximately 10 per cent. of officers and approximately 7 per cent. of other ranks served long enough to receive a full pension.

Combat Stress: Finance

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what funding Combat Stress received from his Department in each of the last five years; and what funding is expected to be provided in each of the next three years.

Derek Twigg: For MOD expenditure from 2001 to 2006 in respect of individual remedial treatment of qualifying war pensioners at Combat Stress Homes in England, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 12 December 2006,  Official Report, column 933W, to the hon. Member for Dunfermline and West Fife (Willie Rennie). MOD expenditure to Combat Stress for 2006-07 was £2.5 million.
	Separate funding is provided from NHS Scotland for war pensioners' treatment at Hollybush House.
	With regard to future funding I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 February 2007,  Official Report, column 621W, to the hon. Member for North Ayrshire and Arran (Ms Clark).

Departments: Cost Effectiveness

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to publish an updated version of his Department's technical note on efficiency.

Adam Ingram: There is no intention to publish an updated version of the MOD's Efficiency Technical Note which was published on the department's website in December 2005.

Departments: Marketing

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which advertising and marketing campaigns were run by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years; which external agencies were involved; and what the cost was of each campaign.

Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 6 June 2007,  Official Report, column 488W and 12 June 2007,  Official Report, column 936W, to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps).

Departments: Remploy

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what  (a) services and  (b) products his Department has procured from Remploy in the last 12 months; and at what cost.

Adam Ingram: Central records indicate that the Ministry of Defence had six directly placed contracts with Remploy that remained extant at some time during the last 12 months. They related to services and products involving the manufacture and supply of combat clothing (including nuclear biological and chemical suits, headover and inner-knitted overalls). The value and costs of each contract is commercially confidential. However, the value band of each contract is indicated in the following table:
	
		
			  Category  Contract date  Contract number 
			 Below £100,000 31 January 2007 S&ADC/6758 
			 £5,000,000 to £10,000,000 11 August 2005 DC1AESL/0237 
			 £5,000,000 to £10,000,000 13 April 2004 DC1AESL/0127 
			 £100,000 to £500,000 29 March 2004 DC1AESL/0111 
			 Below £100,000 5 January 2004 COMM3A/4071 
			 £100,000 to £500,000 2 July 1998 SMC11CR/6340

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the new in-service date set for the Joint Strike Fighter has had any effect on the plan B for the aircraft to be provided for the new aircraft carriers.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 21 June 2007
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Defence Equipment and Support in the other place on 8 January 2007,  Official Report, column WA8. We will not be setting in-service dates for the Joint Combat Aircraft (JCA) until we take the main investment decision, and we will take that decision when the project is sufficiently mature. The Joint Strike Fighter remains our preferred solution to meet the JCA requirement and our current plans for JCA remain coherent with the CVF programme.

Biofuels: Brazil

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will take steps to improve the relationship between biofuels producers in  (a) the UK and the North East of England and  (b) Brazil (i) to stimulate trade, (ii) to encourage innovation in the industry and (iii) to enhance competitive advantage for the two countries.

Ian McCartney: Support for establishing partnerships in investment and trade in renewable energies, particularly ethanol, is one of the recommendations of the UK-Brazil Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO). This clearly shows the importance we place on biofuels, and echoes industry's appetite for bilateral projects. UK banks, consultancy and advisory services companies are active and already doing business with Brazilian partners.
	HMG maintains regular dialogue with Brazil, the European Commission, the International Energy Agency and others on ethanol production and trade. Regular discussions also take place between Commission officials about a possible EU-Mercosur trade agreement with regards to bioethanol.
	There have been several recent events where Brazilian expertise has been presented to a UK audience to stimulate trade, investment and cooperation in biofuels, including the "Brazil: New Business Opportunities" event on 25 June 2007, organised by the Brazilian embassy in conjunction with UK Trade and Investment (UKTI). This JETCO event will see a specific ethanol presentation by the Brazilian Mercantile & Futures Exchange (BM&F), followed by a biofuels workshop attended by: the Brazilian Piracicaba Ethanol Cluster: and the Brazilian Sugar Cane Industry Union. Over 80 UK companies are scheduled to attend.
	There are no specific Government led international initiatives specifically focused on biofuels for the NE, but UKTI NE region is running a trade mission to Brazil in February 2008 in which biofuels companies can participate.

Coastal Areas: Conferences

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what issues were discussed at the coastal towns conference on 8 May.

Margaret Hodge: The conference discussed a wide range of the issues facing coastal towns, in particular whether they share common characteristics. The main issues raised were: the diversity among coastal towns, eg in terms of size and industrial structure; the changing demands of the tourist trade, with movement towards shorter visits and increased business tourism, and the response of coastal towns to this; the importance of transport infrastructure and accessibility in attracting private investment and helping coastal towns realise their full potential; the negative effects of poor quality Houses in Multiple Occupation, which are a feature in many coastal towns; and whether central Government and Regional Development Agencies should adopt consistent policies and strategy for coastal towns as a group, or tailor them to individual circumstances.

Departments: Marketing

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which advertising and marketing campaigns were run by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years; which external agencies were involved; and what the cost was of each campaign.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following was spent on advertising by DTI and its agencies via the Central Office of Information in each of the last five full financial years. Details of any other expenditure by the DTI and its agencies are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost:
	
		
			   £ 
			  2002-03  
			 UK Online for Business 2002/03 3,393,124 
			 Export Licence Announcements 2002/03 10,131 
			 Import Licence Announcements 2002/03 88,685 
			 DTI Miscellaneous 2002/03 21,000 
			 UK Online for Business—Supplement 2002/03 153,384 
			 SBS Business Link 5,395,254 
			 Fireworks Campaign 2002/03—media only 181,966 
			 National Minimum Wage 2002/03 299,443 
			 SBS Recruitment Advertising 14,537 
			 Parental Rights 2002/03 718,718 
			 DTI Consumer Gateway 2002/03 74,887 
			 Quality Mark 2002/03 779,817 
			 Ex-Miners Compensation 2002/03 402,419 
			 Total 11,533,365 
			   
			  2003-04  
			 Parental Rights 2003/04 1,106,186 
			 Import Licence Announcements 2003/04 130,470 
			 Ex Miner Compensation 2003/04 384,875 
			 SBS Public Notice Advertising 2003/04 84,778 
			 SBS Business Link 2003/04 882,188 
			 DTI National Minimum Wage 2003/04 306,360 
			 Quality Mark Scheme 2003/04 189,973 
			 DTI EERA 13 2003/04 422,177 
			 DTI UK Online for Business 2003/04 163,965 
			 DTI Fireworks SMS Internet 2003/04 18,603 
			 DTI UK Online for Business Internet 2003/04 230,914 
			 DTI Consumer Gateway Internet 2003/04 37,686 
			 UK Trade & Investment 2003/04 194,784 
			 SBS Keyword 2003/04 20,799 
			 ACAS Awareness 2003/04 1,070,601 
			 Total 5,244,359 
			  2004-05  
			 Consumer Direct 2004/05 706,488 
			 SBS Business Link 2004/05 552,712 
			 Import Licence Announcements 2004/05 74,300 
			 DTI Classified Recruitment Advertising 2004/05 41,007 
			 New Minimum Wage 2004/05 315,754 
			 Renewable Energy 2004/05 15,542 
			 Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion 2004/05 30,494 
			 Firework Safety 04/05—(media only) 188,480 
			 DTI—Dispute Resolution (media only) 81,768 
			 SBS Press Media Buying Costs 2004/05 3,255 
			 Total 2,009,800 
			   
			  2005-06  
			 Consumer Direct 2005/06 1,447,850 
			 DTI Classified/Recruitment Advertising 2005/06 31,099 
			 SBS Business Link 2005/06 1,502,301 
			 New National Minimum Wage 2005/06 369,603 
			 Directgov—DTI Employee Franchise 2005/06 127,690 
			 Total 3,478,543 
			   
			  2006-07  
			 Consumer Direct—Thomson Directories 2006/07 581,424 
			 DTI Classified Recruitment 2006/07 11,457 
			 ACAS Miscellaneous Advertising Activity 2006/07 228,949 
			 Total 821,830

Departments: Pay

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many staff in his Department received bonus payments in 2006-07; what proportion of the total workforce they represented; what the total amount of bonuses paid was; what the largest single payment was; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department of Trade and Industry awards non-consolidated bonuses in two formats:
	Special bonuses to recognise performance in particularly demanding tasks or situations. Staff in receipt of a special bonus may also receive an annual performance award.
	Annual performance awards paid to highly successful performance as part of the annual pay award.
	Based on the information available the number of staff receiving these awards, as a proportion of the total workforce they represent, total amount of bonuses and the size of the single largest payment for which this information can be provided is in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year  2006-07( 1) 
			   Special bonuses  Performance awards  Largest single payment of bonuses 
			 Number of staff receiving 919 1,286 — 
			 Proportion of the workforce receiving (percentage) 20 29 — 
			 Total value (£) 491,669 2,532,180 15,000 
			 (1 )Financial year running from 1 April to 31 March. 
		
	
	In 2006-07 the total value of bonuses paid was approximately 1.8 per cent. of the total Department's paybill.
	The special bonuses and performance awards for non-SCS staff are paid on a non-consolidated, non-pensionable basis and do not increase the Department's paybill costs each year. For the SCS the Senior Salaries Review Body determines the level of expenditure to cover bonuses.

Departments: Publications

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost was of producing Overseas Trade magazine  (a) before advertising revenues and  (b) net of advertising revenues in each year for which information is available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 9 May 2007
	 The position (excluding website) is recorded in the OJEU tender and contractual documents for the specified periods, and is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Cost period  Gross cost before advertising revenues  Cost to UK Trade and Investment 
			 30 June 2003-29 June 2004 (1)— 175,350 
			 30 June 2004-29 June 2005 (1)— 161,390 
			 30 June 2005-29 June 2006 (1)— 161,390 
			 1 July 2006-30 June 2007(2) (1)— 199,760 
			 (1 )Exemption claimed under Freedom of Information Act 2000 (section 43). (2) Period subject to extension of up to 12 months not yet agreed.

Departments: Warwick Manufacturing Group

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what payments his Department has made to the Warwick Manufacturing Group in each year since 1997.

Margaret Hodge: No payments have been made to Warwick Manufacturing Group direct. However the following payments have been made to Warwick university of which it is part, and to Warwick Business School also part of Warwick university:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Warwick University  Warwick Business School 
			 2002-03 93,570 — 
			 2003-04 38,805 56,378 
			 2004-05 — 50,062 
			 2005-06 — 9,595 
			 2006-07 — — 
		
	
	The Department changed its financial system in 2003 and details of payments before then could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
	The Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) and the university of Warwick are major assets to the West Midlands and play a significant role in attracting inward investment into the region. The WMG, in particular, is one of many assets within the region which form an integral part of an overall regional proposition presented to knowledge driven business. It is rarely possible however to attribute the success in securing an inward investment project to one single factor as it often it is the results of a combination of issues.
	For example, Airbus decision to establish a systems engineering centre for fuel and landing gear systems in Solihull in 2006 was based on a combination of factors, including skills availability, access to existing Airbus centres in both north-west and south-west England and also to potential engineering links to regional universities including Aston, Birmingham and Warwick. WMG was nevertheless one of a number of factors which persuaded Airbus to locate in the region.

Economic Situation: North West Region

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will break down by area of investment the £211 billion private sector investment quoted in the Northwest Development Agency's Improving the Economic Performance of England's Northwest document dated February 2007.

Margaret Hodge: We believe that the figure in the question from the hon. Member should read £2.1 billion, not £211 billion.
	Since 1999, the NWDA has levered the following private sector investment through its legacy programmes that includes the Single Regeneration Budget, and since 2002, the Single Programme:
	
		
			   £ 
			  Legacy (1999-2002)  
			 Land and Property 461,000,000 
			 Single Regeneration Budget 842,000,000 
			 Rural Programmes 5,000,000 
			 Inward Investment(1) 287,700,000 
			 Total 1,595,700,000 
			   
			  Single Programme (2002-06)  
			 Business Growth 4,618,800 
			 Urban, Rural and Economic Inclusion 527,161,338 
			 Strategic transport, communications and infrastructure 16,600,000 
			 Employment sites 15,259,290 
			 Image 1,875,738 
			 Total 565,515,166 
			   
			  Legacy and Single Programme Combined 2,161,215,166 
			 (1 )The Inward Investment data for 2002-03 onwards are subsumed into business growth. 
		
	
	The North West Development Agency did not categorise private sector investment by geographical area until 2003-04. The following table details the investment by area for 2003-04 to 2005-06:
	
		
			  Private Sector Investment by Area, 2003-04 to 2005-06 
			  £ 
			  Area (of project)  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Cheshire 645,546 172,477,380 106,641,870 
			 Cumbria 16,613,336 23,168,209 33,093,427 
			 Greater Manchester 48,233,713 70,469,540 79,899,078 
			 Greater Merseyside 30,356,623 27,909,442 10,865,009 
			 Lancashire 9,529,750 13,633,523 23,500,740 
			 Regional 2,357,333 2,711,671 2,765,139 
			 Grand Total 107,736,301 310,369,765 256,765,263

Electronic Equipment: Waste Disposal

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many in-store take back schemes the Government expects to be set up as a result of the implementation of the Waste, Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive requires that distributors supplying electrical and electronic equipment to household end users provide facilities for WEEE to be returned free of charge. The UK's implementing regulations give distributors two options for meeting this obligation: they can offer in-store take back of old equipment when consumers buy a replacement item or they can join the Distributor Take back Scheme (DTS) which supports a network of primarily civic amenity site collection facilities where their customers can return their WEEE.
	There is no requirement under the WEEE Regulations to maintain a register of distributors who provide in-store take back. Currently DTS membership represents some 75 per cent. of EEE retailing. Figures on the number of in-store take back schemes are not available.

Employment

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans the Government has to sign partnerships with British industries to promote jobs for British citizens.

Margaret Hodge: The Government have no specific plans to sign partnerships to promote jobs for British citizens. The Department of Trade and Industry has a wide range of relationships with many sectors of the economy that address the challenges industry faces in light of increasing globalisation and which seek to improve competitiveness and create jobs. We have established a number of Innovation and Growth Teams in key sectors which provide a good example of the way in which we work with industry. We also work with inward investors to the UK who create employment. The working age employment rate remains close to the historic highs of recent years and is 1.6 percentage points higher than in April 1997.

Employment: North West Region

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 12 June 2007,  Official Report, column 903W, on employment: North West region, if he will break down by employer the number of jobs safeguarded or created under the urban, rural and economic inclusion heading.

Margaret Hodge: As stated in my response of 12 June, the North West Development Agency (NWDA) does not collect information in the form requested and as such does not hold data by employer.
	However, under the Regional Development Agency (RDA) Tasking Framework, introduced in April 2005, RDAs are required to disaggregate outputs by urban and rural area.
	For 2005-06, NWDA reported that 15,738 jobs were created or safeguarded, of which; 74 per cent. (11,588) were in urban areas and 26 per cent. (4,150) were in rural areas.
	Further details of RDA's end year outputs for 2005-06 can be found at:
	http:/www.dti.gov.uk/regional/regional-dev-agencies/rda-performance/nage32498.html

Energy: Conservation

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps have been taken to help individual homeowners to increase the energy efficiency of their homes; and what steps are being taken to incentivise such actions.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	The Warm Front scheme aims to improve energy efficiency in households in England through the provision of energy efficiency and heating measures to eligible households. Since its inception in 2000, Warm Front has assisted more than 1.4 million vulnerable households. Funding for the scheme for the 2005-08 period is over £800 million.
	The Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC) is an obligation on electricity and gas suppliers to meet targets for the promotion of improvements in household energy efficiency in Britain. During the first phase of the EEC (2002-05), suppliers installed a range of measures which helped an estimated 40 million households to improve their energy efficiency.
	DEFRA funds the Energy Saving Trust (EST) for their work on promoting energy efficiency in the domestic sector through advertising programmes, advice centres and the endorsement of energy saving products. The Trust also encourages local authorities to develop energy efficiency strategies.
	DEFRA has also launched an online calculator that enables people to work out their carbon footprint. The calculator is part of DEFRA's "Act on CO2" campaign which aims to make people aware of the link between their own everyday behaviour and climate change. The calculator covers three sections—home energy, appliances and personal transport and can be used for an individual or a whole household. It also provides tailored recommendations through a personalised action plan, about what steps users can take to cut their own emissions.
	DEFRA's Guide to Greener Living, and EST's accreditation of products under the "Energy Saving Recommended" label also signposts consumers to products that save the most energy.

Export Credit Guarantees: Burma

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much debt is owed to UK companies by Burma; in relation to which  (a) companies and  (b) projects the Export Credits Guarantee Department has taken over this debt; and in each case when the guarantees were given.

Ian McCartney: The amount owed by Burma to UK companies in respect of defaulted export contracts insured or guaranteed by ECGD is £22.9 million. ECGD has subrogated rights to recoveries.
	Contracts for which ECGD provided 100 per cent. guarantees for the related financing loans given by the National Westminster Bank are as follows:
	John Brown Engineering/Government of Burma Electric Power Enterprise: One loan signed in 1979 and two in 1982;
	Bonar Cruickshank Power Engineering/Government of Burma Electric Power Enterprise: Loan signed 1986; and
	James Mackie and Sons/Myanmar Textile Industries: Loan signed 1980.
	ECGD also insured two export contracts with Myanmar Textile Industries and the Inland Water Transport Corporation where the outstanding debt is £1.8 million. The policies were issued in 1980 and 1983. Due to commercial confidentiality undertakings in insurance policies ECGD would need to notify those companies before disclosing their names.

Farmers: Bankruptcy

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many and what proportion of farmers were declared bankrupt in  (a) Cornwall,  (b) the South West and  (c) the UK in each year since 1979.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The closest available estimates for bankruptcies among farmers are the numbers of bankruptcy orders made under the category "agriculture and horticulture" according to the Insolvency Trade Classification (ITC). The table provides the figures for England and Wales, which are available from 1990 onwards.
	Bankruptcies in Scotland and Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the devolved administrations and, while total bankruptcies could be provided, a breakdown by industry is not available.
	Bankruptcy statistics are classified regionally according to the locations and areas of responsibility of official receivers' (ORs) offices, each of which covers a number of courts having insolvency jurisdiction, and are not directly comparable with administrative geographies. Statistics broken down by both industry and regionally are not readily available for the period requested.
	The Insolvency Trade Classification is not consistent with the Standard Industrial Classification 2003 (SIC2003) which is used to classify businesses, nor is the regional classification in use consistent with standard administrative geographies such as counties and government office regions (GORs). It is not, therefore, possible to provide reliable estimates of the proportions of farmers becoming bankrupt, either at the regional or national level.
	Bankruptcies in England and Wales in the Agriculture sector, January 1990 September 2006:
	
		
			   Bankruptcy orders in agriculture sector (E and W) 
			 1990 198 
			 1991 266 
			 1992 313 
			 1993 277 
			 1994 231 
			 1995 218 
			 1996 168 
			 1997 155 
			 1998 157 
			 1999 183 
			 2000 173 
			 2001 183 
			 2002 132 
			 2003 151 
			 2004 204 
			 2005 195 
			 2006 (up to September)(1) 129 
			 (1) Figures from October 2006 are not available due to development work to update the classification of new cases to the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 2003.  Note: Figures are not available prior to January 1990.

Lighting: Prices

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what additional cost he expects to be added to the retail price of  (a) traditional incandescent light bulbs and  (b) energy saving light bulbs as a result of the implementation of the Waste, Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive.

Malcolm Wicks: Incandescent light bulbs are not subject to the provisions of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive, but energy efficient light bulbs, including compact fluorescent bulbs, are. According to industry estimate it cost 20-25 pence to teat a fluorescent bulb. This treatment cost information appeared in the Regulatory Impact Assessment issued alongside the WEEE Regulations.
	Ultimately it will be for the lamp industry to ensure that they remain priced at a reasonable level.

National Institute for Medical Research

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what scientific representation there is for the National Institute for Medical Research on the working party of the Medical Research Council deciding on its future at the British Library site.

Malcolm Wicks: The National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) is a wholly owned institute of the Medical Research Council. In October 2004, the (MRC) established a steering committee to oversee the further development of a business plan for the renewal of the NIMR, bringing together scientific and business issues. In February 2005, following the selection of University college London as the preferred partner for the renewal of the NIMR, a project group comprising representatives from MRC, NIMR and UCL was established to advise the Committee on the development of the business case required for the Gateway Process.

National Institute for Medical Research

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what date Sir Keith Peters was appointed as interim Director of the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR); how many days Sir Keith has worked at the NIMR since taking up the post; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) is a wholly owned institute of the Medical Research Council (MRC).
	Sir Keith Peters took up the appointment as an interim Director of the NIMR on 1 October 2006. His contract requires him to work an average of eight days per month.

National Institute for Medical Research

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  whether the National Institute for Medical Research is permitted to do a preliminary feasibility study of the proposal to relocate to the British Library site;
	(2)  why the first statement of 31 May 2007 from the steering group on the relocation of the National Institute for Medical Research was qualified by the further statement of 1 June that the 31 May statement should not be given to the media or staff.

Malcolm Wicks: This is a matter for the Medical Research Council (MRC). I have asked MRC's Chief Executive, Professor Colin Blakemore to reply to my hon. Friend.

New Businesses: Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many new businesses established in West Lancashire received Government  (a) funding and  (b) assistance in each of the last five years.

Margaret Hodge: In 2002-03 one new business received funding through an enterprise grant (which became selective financial investment grants in 2004) funded by the Small Business Service. Since this time, there has been no take-up of available grants by new businesses.
	The number of new businesses in West Lancashire receiving assistance through the Business Link service for the years in question are as follows:
	
		
			  Businesses receiving Business Link assistance 
			   Number 
			 2002-03 70 
			 2003-04 59 
			 2004-05 72 
			 2005-06 36 
			 2006-07 6

North West Development Agency: Finance

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the Northwest Development Agency's budget was in each year since 1997.

Margaret Hodge: The following table shows the Single Pot budget given to North West Regional Development Agency since their creation in 1999-2000 to the present year:
	
		
			  RDA/Year  NWDA (£000) 
			 1999-2000 141,367 
			 2000-01 155,750 
			 2001-02 269,688 
			 2002-03 274,032 
			 2003-04 309,092 
			 2004-05 366,720 
			 2005-06 381,831 
			 2006-07 400,133 
			 2007-08 408,904

Nuclear Power Stations

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to make an announcement on the proposed strategic siting assessment for new nuclear power stations.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government recently published a consultation document on nuclear power as well as a consultation document inviting views on a proposed process for carrying out a strategic siting assessment (SSA). Both consultations close on 10 October 2007. We intend to publish a policy statement in response to both consultations by the end of the year.
	The SSA consultation document proposes that, if the Government confirm their preliminary view that it is in the public interest to allow companies the option of investing in new nuclear power stations, the SSA would be launched in early 2008 and conclude in mid 2009.

Overseas Trade: Brazil

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what further action he plans to take to encourage an increase in the value and volume of trade between the UK and Brazil.

Ian McCartney: Brazil is identified as an emerging market under UK Trade and Investment's strategy "Prosperity in a Changing World". As part of this strategy, we are focussing on deepening our trade and economic relationship with Brazil with the aim of increasing the level of trade between the UK and Brazil. We aim to achieve this by raising awareness about the opportunities in Brazil and by tackling barriers to trade. The UK-Brazil Joint Economic Trade Committee (JETCO) is one tool already in place to support these aims and a number of activities are ongoing under this. For example:
	A "Brazil: New Business Opportunities" event, organised by the Brazilian embassy with the support of UK Trade and Investment, is taking place [took place] in London on 25 June and is bringing together UK and Brazilian businesses.
	The CBI is delivering a comprehensive programme aimed at improving the business environment in Brazil.
	A full programme of activity aimed at increasing links and collaboration between the UK and Brazil is under way for the Brazil-UK Year of Science.
	The FCO Global Opportunities Fund is supporting a visit by experts from the UK Intellectual Property Office to Brazil to deliver intellectual property rights training to Brazilian patent examiners.
	A series of joint events are planned to promote professional services during the Lord Mayor's visit to Brazil in August.
	The second ministerial JETCO meeting will take place in September in London. This will be attended by Brazil's new Minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, Miguel Jorges.
	In addition, four extra staff are joining UKTI's network in Brazil in the next few months as part of a refocusing of resources to emerging markets under the strategy. UKTI has also appointed a high growth market specialist from the private sector with extensive experience of Brazil to assist UKTI in raising awareness of the opportunities in Brazil and to provide business development advice and market intelligence to companies.

Power Stations: Peterhead

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will assess the likely effects of the proposals in the Government's White Paper on Energy on the planning of the 90 per cent. carbon free power station at Peterhead.

Ian McCartney: The Energy White Paper announced that a competition will be launched in November 2007 to develop the UK's first commercial scale demonstration of carbon capture and storage technologies on a power generation facility. This will contribute to the UK's emission reduction targets while also demonstrating the technology to an international audience in support of the Government's wider climate change objectives.
	Since publication of the Energy White Paper BP have announced their withdrawal from the Peterhead project. We are aware that several other companies remain interested in participating in the competition and we are keen to see other projects come forward as the competition develops.
	The decision on planning consent for a particular case is a matter for the relevant competent authority and in the case of Peterhead that is Scottish Ministers under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989. I understand they gave approval to the proposal on 14 June this year.

Regional Development Agencies: Trade Unions

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the merits of establishing trade union representation on Regional Development Agency boards; and what representations he has received from the Trades Union Congress on this matter.

Margaret Hodge: RDA boards are made up of a range of different skills and experience to reflect a balance of regional interests. Each board includes a trade union representative.
	Each trade union member is appointed by the Secretary of State following a recruitment process which meets the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointment's Code. Each board member's performance is reviewed annually by the Chair of the RDA. Ministers take account of performance reviews when considering reappointments.
	I meet the TUC regional development network regularly to discuss RDA issues but not appointments policy.

Research: Closures

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the case for allowing the Office of Science and Technology to exercise powers of scrutiny over proposed research institute closures; and what discussions he has had with the Trades Union Congress on this matter.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 19 June 2007
	Recommendations in the Science and Technology Select Committee's report on its Inquiry into the Research Council Institutes, published on 22 March, suggested a greater role for the Office of Science and Innovation in monitoring the Research Council Institutes, including any restructuring of those Institutes. These issues were raised at a meeting between myself as the Minister for Science and Innovation and Prospect, in April.
	The Government's approach remain that the Research Councils should retain responsibility for the management and organisation of their Research Institutes. Research Councils discuss any proposed closures of such Institutes with local staff trade unions, as a matter of course.
	But Ministers and OSI retain an interest in ensuring the good overall management of our science base and its institutions.

Science: Government Assistance

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the level of Government funding support for science centres was in each of the last five years; and what total support is expected to be given in  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) up to 2010.

Malcolm Wicks: Government funding for science centres over the last five years is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   £000 
			 2002-03 61 
			 2003-04 598 
			 2004-05 560 
			 2005-06 932 
			 2006-07 333 
		
	
	These figures include:
	DTI funding of £93,000 from a total of £150,000 paid between 2001 and 2004, to Ecsite UK, an umbrella body for science centres, to help it become established and become financially sustainable.
	£2 million, from DTI and DfES, between 2004 and 2006 to certain centres which were assessed as likely to become financially viable with the short term funding.
	 (a) Funding for 2007-08 will include £450,000 as a part of £750,000 project ran by Ecsite UK (between November 2006 and March 2008) to help the science centres achieve financial sustainability and £33,000 funding for Ecsite UK.
	 (b) The Government have provided this short term funding on the basis that science centres should be self sustaining thereafter.

Severn Barrage

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the organisations and authorities whose views  (a) in favour of and  (b) opposing the proposal for a tidal barrage across the River Severn have been communicated to him.

Malcolm Wicks: There is no specific proposal at present to build a Severn Barrage. The Sustainable Development Commission is however producing a report, with financial support from various parties including my Department, looking at various options for harnessing the potential tidal energy resource that exists around the UK, including within the Severn estuary. The SDC will, of course, be looking at the Severn Barrage tidal power scheme and other options within the Severn estuary.
	The SDC project has included a significant programme of stakeholder and public engagement. This work is now complete and involved two stakeholder workshops in Aberdeen and Cardiff, a series of deliberative public workshops and focus groups at regional and local levels, and a national omnibus poll. A report of the engagement programme, and an independent evaluation of the programme, will be published as part of the evidence base that underpins the SDC's final report that is expected by the end of September.
	Of the communications that has been received by my Department from organisations or authorities on this issue it has not always been the case that opinion is clearly for or against a particular scheme.

Working Hours

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the percentage of men who would like to work more flexibly;
	(2)  what steps are being taken to raise awareness of the business case for flexible working among employers;
	(3)  what research he has  (a) examined and  (b) commissioned into the impact of increasing flexible working on skills shortages in the UK;
	(4)  whether he has made an assessment of the impact of flexible working on productivity.

Jim Fitzpatrick: No specific research has been commissioned by DTI on flexible working and skill shortages in the UK. However, to the extent that flexible working helps employers both to recruit and retain skilled staff, it will help to reduce skill shortages in the UK. DTI research has found that many employees consider the availability of flexible working to be important when deciding to work with their current employer.
	With regards to the percentage of men who would like to work more flexibly the DTIs Third Work-Life Balance Employee Survey found that almost half (46 per cent.) were either currently working flexibly, or had done so in the past year. When men who had not made a request to work flexibly were asked why, more than three-fifths said they were happy with their current arrangements or gave other personal reasons. Overall, 86 per cent. of male employees said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their current working arrangements, compared with only 5 per cent. who were dissatisfied and 1 per cent. who were very dissatisfied.
	The relationship between various workplace practices and productivity is a complex one, mediated by a host of other variables; studies often find no statistically significant relationship. The relationship between work-life balance and labour productivity was investigated in Chapter 10 of the DTI-sponsored report, 'Inside the Workplace: Findings from the 2004 Workplace Employment Relations Survey' (Routledge 2006). It was found that work-life balance practices were not jointly significant when added to the baseline labour productivity model. A forthcoming DTI research report, however, has found that in private sector workplaces an increased incidence of family-friendly provisions is positively associated with managers' perceptions of improved financial performance.
	In terms of raising awareness of the business case for flexible working among employers, the DTI has recently worked with Carers UK, ACAS, British Chambers of Commerce and British Gas to produce an employer's pack which illustrates the business case for flexible working. The Business Link website provides advice and guidance on flexible working and highlights the business case and benefits to employers of working flexibly.

Written Questions

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will answer question  (a) 136543, on maternity and paternity leave, and  (b) 136541, on Overseas Trade magazine, tabled on 3 May 2007 by the hon. Member for Rutland and Melton.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I answered the hon. Member's question on maternity and paternity leave (136543) on 15 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1416W, and question (136541) on Overseas Trade magazine today.

Arms Length Management Organisations

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what steps her Department has taken to allow local authorities with arms length management organisations the flexibility to use their own  (a) land and  (b) other resources to build and own homes;
	(2)  what plans her Department has to facilitate the construction of more council housing by  (a) local authorities and  (b) arms length management organisations.

Yvette Cooper: Local authorities have an important role in securing new affordable housing. They should work in partnership with housing associations and developers, using their planning and other powers, to identify need and support development. But we are encouraging more direct development by authorities where it offers value for money.
	We have changed the bidding process for social housing grant this year which will make it easier for arms length management organisations (ALMOs) or local authority special venture vehicles to satisfy pre-qualification tests of financial standing and technical capacity which has hampered previous ALMO bids; and ensure that when an authority brings forward land in a bid, this is likely to score well in meeting the criteria of deliverability and strategic fit.
	We are exploring with six local authorities, three of which have ALMOs, the benefits of their coming out of the housing revenue subsidy system. The pilots have shown that by being self-financing creates a number of benefits, one of which is the opportunity for councils to have a more direct role in building homes for rent. The work of the pilots is currently being assessed.

Community Relations

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government is taking to tackle the incidence of Somali youths engaged in fundamentalist activities in the UK.

Phil Woolas: The Government remain strongly committed to working with all communities to tackle violent extremism. To this end, the Department for Communities and Local Government works with a number of different diaspora communities in the UK including the Somalian. We are focusing our work on those organisations that are taking a proactive leadership role in tackling extremism and defending our shared values.

Council Tax: Valuation

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what contractual agreements Ordnance Survey (OS) has made with the Valuation Office Agency for release of data held by OS to the Agency.

Phil Woolas: Ordnance Survey licenses the Valuation Office Agency to access a range of data and products for use within their business operations. The Valuation Office Agency is a member of the Pan Government Agreement, a collective purchasing agreement between Ordnance Survey and central Government.

Departments: Energy

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many energy saving light bulbs were purchased by her Department for use on the departmental estate in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006.

Angela Smith: Communities and Local Government purchased 1,374 compact fluorescent energy saving light bulbs in 2005. The Department is unable to provide data for 2006 at this time. However, the Department's policy is to use low energy lighting wherever appropriate, as part of our wider efforts to improve energy efficiency throughout the estate. The figure does not include energy saving light bulbs purchased by the Department's Executive Agencies, NDPBs or the Government Offices.

Departments: Foreign Relations

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many memoranda of understanding are in force as a result of agreements with foreign governments entered into by Ministers in her Department; and what executive actions each entails.

Angela Smith: None.

Departments: Freedom of Information

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will list the requests made to her Department under the  (a) Freedom of Information Act (FOI) 2000 and  (b) Environmental Information Regulations in the last six months; and what the (i) FOI case reference number, (ii) request summary, (iii) request outcome and (iv), where appropriate, reason for exemption was in each case.

Angela Smith: The list of requests made to Communities and Local Government under the Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Regulations in the period from 1 October 2006 to 31 March 2007 has been tabulated and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House, together with the other details requested.
	This tabulation is solely of requests handled by the Central Department, and does not include requests made to its agencies or the Government Office Network.

Departments: Manpower

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff funded by the public purse in  (a) English Partnerships,  (b) the Housing Corporation,  (c) the Commission for Racial Equality,  (d) the Audit Commission,  (e) the Standards Board and Adjudication Panel for England,  (f) the Government office for (i) London, (ii) the South East, (iii) the South West, (iv) West Midlands, (v) East Midlands, (vi) North West, (vii) East of England, (viii) North East and (ix) Yorkshire and Humberside,  (g) the Fire Service College,  (h) Ordnance Survey,  (i) the Planning Inspectorate,  (j) the Rent Service and  (k) QE2 Conference Centre are classified as people without posts.

Angela Smith: The information requested is not held centrally and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Northern Ireland

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the concordat governing the relationship between her Department and the Northern Ireland administration.

Angela Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not currently have a concordat with the Northern Ireland Executive.
	The principles set out in the Memorandum of Understanding and Supplementary Agreements between the UK Government, Scottish Ministers, the Cabinet of the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Executive, published in 2001, continue to underpin our working relationship with the Northern Ireland Executive.

Departments: Older Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of staff in her Department were over 60 years of age in each of the last three years.

Angela Smith: Percentage of staff over 60 years of age on 31 March for each of last 3 years was as follows:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 2005 4 
			 2006 3 
			 2007 2.8

Departments: Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the current rate of employer contribution is to each public sector pension scheme for which her Department has responsibility; what the revenue impact would be of capping the employer contribution to each such scheme at 14 per cent. and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: Figures derived from the most recent statistical returns for the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) in England and Wales, indicate that in 2005-06, the average employer contribution rate for the Scheme was 15.2 per cent. of payroll. For the Firefighters' Pension Scheme, the current estimated employers' cost is 26.5 per cent. of payroll and 14.2 per cent. for members of the new Firefighters' Pension Scheme.
	Introducing a cap of 14 per cent. employers' contributions to the LGPS would reduce scheme income by some £326 million per annum on current estimated figures. For the firefighters' pension schemes, the equivalent estimate figure is some £120 million.

Departments: Public Participation

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many public consultations her Department undertook in the last 12 months; and what the cost was of each consultation.

Angela Smith: Over the 12 months to end May 2007, Communities and Local Government launched 42 formal public consultations in order to inform the Department's policy development. Information on the cost of each consultation and the total cost of all consultations could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Domestic Wastes: Waste Disposal

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what scientific research has been conducted by her Department and its agencies into alternate weekly collections of household rubbish.

Phil Woolas: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 19 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1659W.

Domestic Wastes: Waste Disposal

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research and statistical data gathering have been conducted by  (a) her Department and  (b) the Audit Commission into the proportion of household rubbish collected for recycling that is not recycled.

Ben Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.
	Local authorities are required to report quarterly data on municipal waste (encompassing household waste) to WasteDataFlow. When reporting data, authorities should specify the amount of waste collected for recycling that is subsequently rejected, at the point of collection, at a Materials Recycling Facility (MRF), or at the gate of the reprocessor. The data reported to WasteDataFlow are used by the Environment Agency and DEFRA to monitor the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme.
	The agency has also carried out a survey on household waste materials reclamation facilities in England and Wales. They identified and visited about 80 candidate sites to ascertain recovery and reject levels at each site, verifying this information via a visual inspection of bale quality and the overall state of each facility. The overall typical spread of reject rates for MRFs was from 5-25 per cent. with 10-15 per cent. being the average. Around 1 million tonnes of municipal waste were reported to WasteDataFlow as being processed by an MRF.
	Analysis by the Waste and Resources Action Programme, based on a range of data sources, suggests that a conservative estimate of the amount of household waste collected for recycling which is not recycled, is around 5-10 per cent. In 2005-06, a total of 6.87 million tonnes of waste from household sources was collected for recycling.
	I am not aware of any research carried out by the Audit Commission in this area. However, the Audit Commission has published a number of guidance documents containing advice to local councils on how they can meet their statutory requirements with regards to waste by improving their waste management and adopting best practice. The Audit Commission also examines the performance of councils and the services they provide, including waste, through the Comprehensive Performance Assessment, and provides recommendations for improvement.

Electromagnetic Fields: Public Opinion

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what account she takes of public opinion in determining suitable precautionary measures on power frequency electric and magnetic fields (EMFs); what mechanism she plans to put in place to assess public opinion on the issues raised by the recently published Stakeholder Advisory Group on Extremely Low Frequency Electric and Magnetic Fields report on precautionary approaches to power frequency EMFs; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: I have been asked to reply.
	The recently published report from the 'Stakeholder Advisory Group on Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) Electric and Magnetic Fields (EMF)', known as the SAGE report, is currently under consideration by the Health Protection Agency (HPA). Government have asked HPA for advice concerning the report's recommendations. Government will consider the HPA's advice and, should any further measures be considered as part of a precautionary approach, would consult stakeholders as part of the process. A copy of the SAGE Report has been placed in the Library.

European Regional Development Fund

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects payments suspended by the European Commission of European Regional Development Fund for England to be resumed; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 8 May 2007
	 The Government received formal notification on 11 April 2007 that the EC was holding reimbursement of payments in respect of ERDF 2000-06 programmes in five (out of nine) regions and the URBAN programme in Peterborough. Evidence is currently being provided for the EC on those regions and programmes so that payments can resume.

European Regional Development Fund

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much is currently suspended by the European Commission in payments from the European Regional Development Fund to England.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 8 May 2007
	 The Commissions decision to holding back the reimbursement of claims for expenditure on projects funded from the ERDF 2000-06 programmes pending further onsite checks, took effect on 4 April 2007. No claims have been made since then. The Department however had outstanding claims of £269 million from earlier claims at the time of the Commission's decision which the Commission has not yet paid. The Department is working to ensure that they are reimbursed as quickly as possible.

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the submission from the Local Authorities Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services regarding the viability for local authorities of the enforcement of home information packs and pursue non-payment of fines; and if she will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: We fully expect local authority trading standards officers to carry out their new statutory duties when home information packs are introduced on 1 August 2007. The Department has worked closely with the Local Authorities Co-ordinators of Regulatory Service (LACORS) throughout the development of this policy and is now working with them to ensure a smooth implementation. Trading standards have the expertise and experience to operate a common sense approach to enforcement assessing each case individually, and taking into account whether the HIP is being deliberately avoided when deciding appropriate measures to take—ranging from advice and warnings to a £200 penalty charge. Any estate agents issued with a penalty charge will be reported to the OFT who have the ability to issue a banning order preventing an offender from trading as an estate agent.

Home Information Packs

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many individuals have opted to purchase a home condition report in Phase 2 of the home information pack trial.

Ruth Kelly: In total we have received requests for more than 4,000 home information packs (HIPs) across all the trials.
	We are still analysing and compiling the data from Phase 2 of the trials. We will publish the findings later in the year.
	We are still receiving completed HIPs from pack providers and solicitors. Mori continues to conduct independent research with organisations involved in the trial and with buyers and sellers using the HIPs in their transactions.

Home Information Packs

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment she has made of the potential effect on the housing market of the introduction of compulsory home information packs.

Ruth Kelly: Research conducted for the Department by Europe Economics suggested that had home information packs (HIPs) been implemented on 1 June for all properties there may have been a transitory impact on the volume of properties marketed for sale as consumers adjusted to the new duties. Any such impact was likely to have been small compared with the normal fluctuations in listings. The analysis further predicted that listings behaviour would quickly return to trend levels as the new systems settles into place. Under the revised arrangements, with phased introduction of HIPs, any transitional impacts are likely to be even less significant.
	The report further suggests that any transitional adjustments are unlikely to affect house prices or transactions, and that home information packs are unlikely to be a determinant of future changes in house price trends.
	In the medium term, as home information packs improve transparency and increase competition, making home buying and selling a quicker, more certain and less daunting experience, the operation of the market should improve.
	The Europe Economics research is currently being updated to reflect the phased implementation announced on 22 May 2007. The revised report will be published in due course.

Home Information Packs

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will ensure that provisions are introduced to provide redress for consumers who are mis-sold properties on the basis of inaccurate information in home information packs; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: Consumers will be able to seek independent redress for home information pack (HIP) related complaints against estate agents who are acting in relation to the sale of residential properties for which a HIP is required. The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, who is the Minister with policy responsibility for estate agents, will shortly be making an order requiring such estate agents in England and Wales to belong to an approved redress scheme for HIP-related complaints from 1 August 2007.

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which Government Departments and agencies will have access to the central register of  (a) home condition reports and  (b) energy performance certificates.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 22 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1400W, regarding access to home condition reports.
	Access to energy performance certificates entered onto the register is controlled under The Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007. It is an offence for the keeper of the register to disclose EPCs to any other person unless expressly permitted by the Regulations. These Regulations make provision for the disclosure to the Energy Performance Certificate Register by means other than the report reference number to enforcement authorities including the Office of Fair Trading for the purpose of preventing or detecting crime, and prosecuting offenders through the courts.
	The Secretary of State for Communities also has access for monitoring and enforcement of the Regulations or auditing the work of certification schemes, and that of the register operator, provided that no particular property is identifiable from the information disclosed. No other Departments have access.

Home Information Packs

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  if she will request additional resources from the Chancellor of the Exchequer to pay transitional compensation to individuals who re-trained at their own expense as energy performance inspectors in the expectation that opportunities to work as energy performance inspectors would be available from 1 June, until the home information packs scheme begins;
	(2)  if she will make available resources from the contingency fund to compensate those people who re-trained as energy performance inspectors in the expectation their work would start on 1 June this year.

Yvette Cooper: The reasons for the delay to the implementation of home information packs were set out in the Statement on 22 May 2007.
	The proposals we set out on 22 May will mean domestic energy assessors (DEAs) will be able to begin work shortly. We laid revised regulations on 11 June and from 1 August DEAs will also start work with four-bedroom properties and larger, rolling out to all properties as soon as possible.
	We have invited councils and registered social landlords to work with us to introduce energy performance certificates (EPCs) on a voluntary basis in social housing. We are also providing 5,000 subsidised EPCs with every HIP commissioned before 1 August. These two projects will support the transition in the housing market, allow for further trialling and help to deliver early carbon savings as well as ensure that there is as much work as possible for energy assessors at an early stage.

Home Information Packs

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate her Department has made of the number of four bedroom properties on the housing market in 2007 which are expected to be unable to exchange on completion of transaction due to being unable to provide a previously commissioned home improvement pack; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: We published our assessment of the introduction of Home Information Packs on 11 June. A number of the largest home information pack providers have committed to ensure home-owners anywhere in England and Wales should be able to obtain a pack within seven working days at the advertised national rate.

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how a four bedroom house will be defined for the purposes of the revised home information pack regulations; and whether householders will be able to re-designate a bedroom for a different use from 1 August to avoid the need for a pack.

Yvette Cooper: We set out details in the home information packs regulations and commencement order which were published on 11 June 2007.

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) start and  (b) end date is for consultation on the new home information pack regulations.

Yvette Cooper: The new Home Information Pack Regulations have been discussed with key stakeholders and scrutiny bodies including the Better Regulation Executive and the House of Lords Merits of Statutory Instruments Committee. This follows consultation in January of this year. A consultation in accordance with the Department's agreement with the RICS on the age of an energy performance certificate when included in a home information pack will commence this summer.

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the agreement of 22 May between her Department and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors in relation to home information packs.

Ruth Kelly: A copy of the agreement is available in the Library of both Houses.

Home Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what role  (a) Rightmove and  (b) Countrywide played in providing advice, research or consultancy to her Department and its predecessors on home information packs.

Yvette Cooper: We have worked with a large number of stakeholders, including Rightmove and Countrywide on the development of home information packs.

House Prices and Wages Ratio

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her most recent estimate is of the ratio of house prices to wages in  (a) Dorset and  (b) Hampshire.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 25 January 2007
	The most recently published information on the ratio of lower quartile house prices to lower quartile incomes at local authority district and county level is published on the Communities and Local Government website in Table 576 at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/218/Table576_id1505218.xls
	The earnings data come from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings of the Office for National Statistics of individuals and the house price data come from the Land Registry. The lower quartile price (or earnings) is that figure below which there are one quarter of the prices (or earnings) and above which are three quarters of the prices (or earnings).

Housing

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in how many consecutive years a local authority is allowed to fail to meet its own target for the delivery of affordable housing as recorded in the Annual Monitoring Report before she will  (a) call in the local plan and  (b) direct the local authority to modify the plan.

Yvette Cooper: The Secretary of State's call in powers in section 21 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 are relevant only in advance of the adoption of the plan by the local authority. The Secretary of State may issue a direction to a local authority to revise an adopted plan within a set time scale. The Secretary of State's powers in this regard would be used only exceptionally, depending on the particular circumstances of the plan in question.

Housing

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the report into the future of housing policy and access to social housing is due to be  (a) completed and  (b) published; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: Professor John Hills' report 'Ends and Means-the Future Role of Social Housing in England' was published in February 2007.
	The report has provoked a wide ranging debate on the role of social housing in the 21st century. We are now carrying out a programme of work to address the issues raised.
	As part of this programme, on 19 June we launched two key consultations 'Delivering Housing & Regeneration: Communities England and the future of social housing regulation', which outlines proposals to create a new housing and regeneration agency and responds to Professor Martin Cave's review of social housing regulation 'Every Tenant Matters', also published on 19 June; and 'Tenant Empowerment', which outlines proposals to increase empowerment of social housing tenants.
	Further details of these consultations are provided in the written statement 'Delivering affordable housing, sustainable communities and better outcomes for tenants', laid on 19 June 2007.

Housing: Armed Forces

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of service personnel applying for social housing from local authorities under  (a) Part 6 and  (b) Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996 (i) prior to and (ii) following discharge.

Ruth Kelly: No information is held centrally about the number of service personnel and former service personnel applying to local authorities for social housing in England.

Housing: Construction

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of flat and house sales were for new build properties in each of the last five years.

Yvette Cooper: The proportions of flat and house sales that were for new build properties for each of the last five years for England is presented in the table as follows. Data for 2006 is provisional.
	
		
			  Proportion of residential house price transactions that were new by dwelling type in England, 2002-06 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005 ( 1) 2006 
			 Flats 14.0 17.3 18.8 24.4 22.5 
			 Houses 7.5 7.4 7.0 7.0 5.5 
			 All sales 8.6 9.1 9.3 10.4 8.8 
			 (1)( )provisional  Source:  HM Land Registry

Housing: Elderly

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the arrangements to inform and protect elderly homebuyers purchasing lifetime leases; how many complaints were made to the Government concerning such schemes in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The regulatory treatment of lifetime leases was addressed in the Government's response to the March 2006 consultation document, "Secondary legislation for the regulation of home reversion and home purchase plans". The Government response to that consultation is available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk./media/880/39/responses_homereversion_130906.pdf
	We do not have figures on complaints. Older people can receive free legal advice and information on residential leasehold issues from the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE). LEASE is a non departmental public body sponsored by Communities and Local Government.

Housing: Inspections

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) home inspectors and  (b) energy inspectors have been officially accredited.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Banbury (Tony Baldry) on 11 June 2007,  Official Report, column 817W.
	As I made clear to the House on 12 June we will shortly begin publishing regular updates on the website. This will keep the industry informed on progress and assist in their preparations for the next phase of implementation.

Housing: Inspections

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether  (a) home and  (b) energy inspectors will be required to produce photographic identification to enter a domestic dwelling.

Yvette Cooper: Each Certification and Accreditation Scheme will issue identification cards to its members to use when entering a domestic dwelling to carry out their duties. There will be no cold calling by any HI or DEA; householders will have been given the name of the HI/DEA when the appointment would have been made for the inspection.

Housing: Low Incomes

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many dwellings in England are recorded by the Valuation Office Agency with a value significant code of ZI (subsidised housing—housing association—equity share)

Phil Woolas: As at 3 March 2007, there were 5,254 dwellings in England with this code.

Housing: Low Incomes

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many properties in each local authority in England are coded by the Valuation Office Agency with the WK value significant code.

Phil Woolas: The number of dwellings with the VSC Code 'WK' as at 3 March 2007 has been tabulated and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

Housing: Middlesbrough

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new council houses are planned for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland.

Yvette Cooper: Local authority social rented housing stock in both Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland has been transferred to registered social landlords under the Large Scale Voluntary Transfer (LSVT) programme. In the case of Middlesbrough the properties are now managed by Erimus Housing Association and, in Redcar and Cleveland, by Coast and Country Housing.
	The only available data on new social homes is at local authority level. The figures for the period 2004-07 are as follows:
	
		
			  Uni t 
			   For  s ale/shared ownership  For rent 
			  Redcar and Cleveland   
			 2004 10 64 
			 2005 0 82 
			 2006 0 38 
			 2007 12 0 
			
			  Middlesbrough   
			 2004 0 192 
			 2005 0 67 
			 2006 47 34 
			 2007 10 35 
			  Source: Housing Corporation: National Affordable Homes Programme

Housing: Prices

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average price of a  (a) house and  (b) flat in (i) England and (ii) each Government office region was in (A) 2000 and (B) the most recent year for which figures are available.

Yvette Cooper: The mean average selling price of a house and flat in England and each Government office region for 2000 and 2006 is presented in the following table.
	
		
			  Mean average selling price by type of dwelling by region, England, 2000 and 2006 
			   2000  2006( 1) 
			   House  Flat  House  Flat 
			 North East 63,805 45,264 140,773 112,145 
			 North West 70,363 66,139 151,436 137,505 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 68,580 63,623 152,361 132,810 
			 East Midlands 77,292 54,094 163,413 116,615 
			 West Midlands 86,690 58,129 174,413 125,954 
			 East 117,039 67,989 224,600 145,875 
			 London 219,394 163,873 367,623 269,425 
			 South East 156,381 83,055 271,004 162,123 
			 South West 111,126 74,010 223,014 153,658 
			 England 110,087 110,810 211,076 188,131 
			 (1) Provisional figures.  Source: HM Land Registry.

Housing: Sales

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many domestic dwellings were marketed for sale in  (a) England and  (b) Wales in the last year for which figures are available.

Yvette Cooper: Information on the number of domestic dwellings marketed for sale in England and Wales is not held centrally. However figures on the number of residential properties sold in England and Wales each year are available from the Land Registry and are published on our website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/162/Table588_id1156162.xls.

Immigration

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations she has received from local authorities on the manner in which migrant numbers are calculated for the purposes of local government funding; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The distribution of Formula Grant funding takes into account a measure of the usual resident population, and does not use estimates of migrant numbers separately.
	Communities and Local Government use sub-national population projections and the mid-year estimates that are published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). These statistics take into account changes in the population through natural change (births and deaths), internal migration (movements between local authorities) as well as international migration.
	Questions on the accuracy and calculation of the population statistics are a matter for the ONS.

Immigration: EC Enlargement

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she plans to take into account the costs since 2004 of interpretation and translation services for local authorities in the eastern region when considering future grant settlements for those authorities; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The amount available to be distributed by the local government finance settlement is determined by the Comprehensive Spending Review.
	Formula grant is unhypothecated and so there are no restrictions on how local authorities spend this grant.

Industrial Development: Planning Permission

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations she has received on the time taken to receive planning approval by  (a) manufacturers who wish to extend current factory premises or open a new manufacturing site and  (b) mineral operators who wish to extend a currently active quarrying operation; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Secretary of State receives representations on a large number of topics, including planning procedure. Complaint about delay—whether caused by poor performance by local authorities, procedure or poor quality applications—was one of the reasons we undertook a major overhaul of the planning system. More recently, the Planning White Paper reports that our reforms have already brought substantial improvements in the performance of local planning authorities in deciding applications within target time scales.
	The White Paper sets out further measures which will improve the handling of planning applications. Planning performance agreements, will enable planning authority and developer to agree in advance a timetable and the requirements for achievement of each phase of processing a major application, avoiding unnecessary delay.

Infrastructure Planning Commission: Powers

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the proposed infrastructure planning commission will have the remit to consider planning applications for  (a) large-scale housing developments,  (b) incinerators,  (c) sewage plants,  (d) wind farm sites and  (e) landfill sites.

Yvette Cooper: Paragraphs 5.4 to 5.12 of the White Paper, "Planning for a Sustainable Future" (cm 7120), explain that the proposed infrastructure planning commission would deal with development consent applications for nationally significant transport, water, wastewater and waste infrastructure in England, and energy infrastructure in England and Wales. Local planning authorities will continue to consider the non-nationally significant applications in these sectors that they currently consider. The White Paper does not propose that the infrastructure planning commission would consider any development consent applications for large-scale housing developments.

Land Use: Contamination

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of contaminated land was restored to  (a) domestic,  (b) commercial and  (c) amenity use in the last (i) five and (ii) 10 years.

Ben Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.
	Information on what land is used for after remediation is not collected centrally by my Department. The Environment Agency's 2002 "State of Contaminated Land Report", prepared under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, sets out available data on the identification and response to contaminated land dealt with under the Contaminated Land Regime (Part 2A). A further report is expected to be produced later this year, but will not include information on land cleaned up under the Planning Regime for future use.

Local Authorities: Rented Housing

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of  (a) local authority and  (b) registered social landlord properties sublet to private renters.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not held centrally.
	Secure tenants of local authorities are prohibited by law from subletting the property whether to private renters or to anyone else. Tenants with assured periodic tenancies of Registered Social Landlords are also prohibited by law from sub-letting the property except with the consent of the landlord.
	Where a property is illegally sub-let, it is for the landlord to take steps to repossess it.

Local Government: Finance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of local government revenue expenditure was financed by specific grants in each year since 1997-98; and what the estimated figure is for 2007-08.

Phil Woolas: The percentage of local government revenue expenditure financed by specific grants in England in each year since 1997-98 and the estimated figures for 2006-07 and 2007-08 are tabled as follows.
	The table is produced on a non-Financial Reporting Standard (FRS 17) basis to 2003-04 and on an FRS 17 basis from 2003-04 onwards. The main implication is that the costs of entitlements to retirement benefits (pensions) in FRS 17 are accounted for in the year in which employment gives rise to the entitlement, rather than the year in which cash payments of contributions or pensions take place. On an FRS 17 basis, revenue expenditure is now financed by appropriations from pension reserves, in addition to appropriations from other reserves, revenue support grant, redistributed non-domestic rates, police grant and council tax.
	The large change in specific grant from 2006-07 onwards is largely due to changes in the way the expenditure on schools is funded. Local authorities now receive dedicated schools grant, included in specific grants, replacing funding previously included in formula grant.
	The definition of local government revenue expenditure used here is that expenditure funded from aggregate external finance (AEF), council tax and authorities' reserves. AEF is central Government revenue funding that comprises formula grant (revenue support grant, redistributed business rates and police grant), general Greater London authority (GLA) grant and specific grants inside AEF, i.e. revenue grants paid for council's core services. The specific grants used here are the specific grants inside AEF. Comparisons across years may not be valid due to changing local authority responsibilities.
	
		
			  Local government revenue expenditure financed by specific grants in England 
			   Percentage 
			  Non-FRS 17 basis  
			 1997-98 4 
			 1998-99 5 
			 1999-2000 5 
			 2000-01 8 
			 2001-02 11 
			 2002-03 13 
			 2003-04 18 
			   
			  FRS 17 basis  
			 2003-04 17 
			 2004-05 17 
			 2005-06 17 
			 2006-07 44 
			 2007-08 44 
			  Source: Revenue Summary (RS) returns to 2005-06 and Revenue Accounts (RA) budget returns for 2006-07 and 2007-08. The outturn information for 2006-07 is not yet available. Specific grants include GLA Transport Grant.

Members: Correspondence

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) average and  (b) longest time taken by her Department to reply to hon. Members' correspondence was in each of the last three years.

Angela Smith: The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of Departments in replying to Members/Peers correspondence. The report for 2006 was published on 28 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 101-04WS. Reports for earlier years are available in the Library of the House.
	Information on the average time taken to reply to hon. Members' correspondence is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The longest time taken by the Department to reply to hon. Members' correspondence in each of the last three years is 188 days in 2004; 173 days in 2005; and 295 days in 2006.

Non-domestic Rates: Valuation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) of 27 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1419W, and 15 January 2007,  Official Report, column 848W, on business rate valuations, whether the explanatory work has been completed; and what conclusions have been reached on the feasibility of using automated valuation modelling for business rate valuations.

Phil Woolas: The first phase in a two-phase feasibility study on the potential contribution of automated valuation modelling (AVM) in support of the forthcoming 2010 non-domestic revaluation concludes that an AVM is capable of supporting the revaluation of certain classes of property by providing:
	1. Provisional valuation matrices.
	2. Exception reports to assist in the review and validation of rental information.
	3. Market analysis, including the development of market derived trending indices.
	4. Revaluation 'impact' analysis reports that make available at an early stage information about the likely effect of the revaluation on the aggregate tax base.
	The study has also shown that the AVM can be used to develop local or regional valuation time trend indices as well as provide detailed analysis to inform stakeholders of the impact of the revaluation much earlier in the process than would traditionally be the case.

Pensions: Emergency Services

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reason the real discount rate used by local authorities to calculate the unfunded net present value of the cost of  (a) police and  (b) firefighters' pensions was cut from 3.5 per cent. as at 31 March 2004 to 2.4 per cent. as at 31 March 2005; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The relevant code in the 2003 CEPFA Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) specified a rate of return of 3.5 per cent. real in respect of calculating benefit scheme liabilities. The relevant code in the 2004 SORP changed this. It specified the use of an equivalent current rate of return to that of a high quality corporate bond of equivalent currency and term to the scheme liabilities rather than a specific percentage figure. This reflects the Financial Reporting Board Standard 17 issued by the Accounting Standards Board, part of a general move for local authorities to comply with standard accounting practice.

Planning

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when her Department will publish a summary of responses to its consultation on the General Permitted Development Order 1995; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Department consulted last year on proposals to improve the procedure for making article 4 directions to help address the problems that occur with the subdivision of rural land by enabling local planning authorities to bring directions into force more quickly; and to control the demolition of sports buildings by removing permitted development rights.
	We received a large number of responses some of which raise complex issues. We expect to publish a summary of responses in July.

Planning Inspectorate: ICT

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what problems have occurred with the Planning Inspectorate IT system Planning Casework Service since its inception.

Yvette Cooper: Following rollout of the Planning Casework Service (PCS) PINS has been able to provide a 'public view' of Enforcement and Planning Appeals documentation via publication on the Planning Portal. However, while PINS have encouraged participants in the appeals process to submit documents to them electronically, either online via the Portal or by email, the majority of submissions made by parties remain in paper format.
	This required a much greater degree of scanning of these paper submissions than had been forecast and was the main problem encountered with the system. As a consequence PINS reviewed their processes and have temporarily reduced the level of scanning to the main documentation.
	PCS continues to allow parties to submit appeals and other supporting documentation online and by email. It also allows interested parties to comment on and track the progress of appeals via the Planning Portal as well as providing a view of the appeal decision once issued.

Planning Inspectorate: ICT

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether a value for money evaluation has been carried out on the IT system Planning Casework Service; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: Following rollout of PCS, PINS has followed correct government protocol in determining value for money. They are preparing a revised benefits realisation plan and have sanctioned a Post Implementation Review, in line OGC best practice. The review is at an advanced stage and will be followed by a Gateway 5 review.

Planning Permission: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many planning applications from the London borough of Bexley were  (a) allowed and  (b) dismissed by the Planning Inspectorate in each of the last two years.

Yvette Cooper: Planning Appeals allowed and dismissed in the London borough of Bexley.
	
		
			  Financial year  Allowed  % allowed  Dismissed  % dismissed  Total 
			 2005-06 39 33.91 76 66.09 115 
			 2006-07 36 30.00 84 70.00 120 
			 Grand total 75 31.91 160 68.09 235

Planning: Housing Improvements

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether Part M of Building Regulations applies to extensions built on houses; and if she will make a statement on the rules on accessibility for people with disabilities to house extensions applied by her Department.

Angela Smith: Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2000, as amended by The Building (Amendment) Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/2692), states, for Part M,
	"The requirements of this Part do not apply to ... an extension of ... a dwelling".
	Accessibility for people with disabilities to house extensions is therefore a matter for the householder, not for Government.

Preventing Violent Extremism Pathfinder Fund

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the criteria are for the distribution of funding from the Preventing Violent Extremism Pathfinder Fund to local authorities.

Ruth Kelly: The Guidance Note issued to Government Offices and local authorities in England in February 2007 which outlines the criteria used can be found on the Department's website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=l506075
	Copies of the guidance have been placed in the Library of the House.

Smoking: Litter

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether ring-fenced funding has been provided to local authorities from central Government to compensate for the extra costs of litter collection arising from the public smoking ban in England.

Ben Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.
	No additional funding has been provided by my Department. However, the Government have prepared for possible consequences of England going Smokefree on 1 July, including the potential increase in smoking-related litter.
	In May this year, the Government published guidance for local authorities on smoking litter prevention, which was sent to all authorities in England. DEFRA has also funded four smoking litter campaigns for the current financial year. These campaigns have been organised by Environmental Campaigns (ENCAMS), the organisation that runs the Keep Britain Tidy campaign.
	Central to this work is the issue of behaviour change. If smokers refrained from discarding their cigarette butts on the street, smoking-related litter would not be a problem. This is why, through the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005, we took the opportunity to clarify that smoking-related litter is in fact litter. As a consequence, anyone disposing of a cigarette butt is committing a littering offence, punishable with a fixed penalty notice fine or prosecution in the magistrates court. The Government continue to encourage local authorities to use their powers in this regard to take action, where appropriate, against those discarding smoking-related litter.
	We are also in the process of amending the Street Litter Control Notices Order 1991 to extend the types of premises currently falling within the scope of the Street Litter Control Notice provisions. This will enable them to be used against places which may attract outside smokers, including pubs, clubs, restaurants, cafes and other eating and drinking venues. It is intended to commence this power on 1 July 2007. When there is a suitable opportunity, we also intend to amend both primary and secondary legislation so that Street Litter Control Notices can also be used in respect of offices.
	In instances where a partnership approach to deal with a litter or refuse problem has failed, Street Litter Control Notices can be used by local authorities to set out what can reasonably be required of the occupier of the premises in question to minimise the detrimental impact of their operation. For example, by providing bins and keeping a defined area clear of litter, including smoking-related litter.

Social Rented Housing

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of social housing units built in  (a) the London borough of Merton,  (b) South West London and  (c) London in each of the last five years.

Yvette Cooper: The number of social rent homes built or acquired in each London borough in each of the last five years are tabulated as follows. Communities and Local Government do not define an area for South West London so figures have been provided for each London borough.
	
		
			  Social rent homes provided by sponsoring local authority 
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06( 1) 
			 City of London 76 88 0 48 178 
			 Barking and Dagenham 279 162 124 163 190 
			 Barnet 145 177 113 142 216 
			 Bexley 33 143 48 31 46 
			 Brent 415 196 225 158 168 
			 Bromley 147 168 90 60 212 
			 Camden 164 126 81 188 72 
			 Croydon 398 264 82 156 184 
			 Ealing 119 120 122 171 188 
			 Enfield 437 303 238 254 236 
			 Greenwich 324 217 410 135 184 
			 Hackney 271 300 226 234 130 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 132 116 358 166 68 
			 Haringey 234 127 241 164 226 
			 Harrow 113 102 90 52 25 
			 Havering 183 36 28 69 6 
			 Hillingdon 237 118 128 84 74 
			 Hounslow 182 110 237 81 94 
			 Islington 111 183 261 187 253 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 114 121 178 25 79 
			 Kingston upon Thames 66 41 39 127 4 
			 Lambeth 166 215 206 173 288 
			 Lewisham 196 191 277 399 318 
			 Merton 103 75 55 108 101 
			 Newham 351 246 217 281 266 
			 Redbridge 258 159 90 179 92 
			 Richmond upon Thames 41 13 98 123 60 
			 Southwark 205 287 231 301 252 
			 Sutton 127 161 111 214 266 
			 Tower Hamlets 387 380 431 194 675 
			 Waltham Forest 239 232 182 77 133 
			 Wandsworth 49 61 49 98 9 
			 Westminster 307 172 120 215 280 
			 London 6,609 5,410 5,386 5,057 5,573 
			 (1) Provisional.  Source: Housing Corporation, local authority statistical returns.

Somerset County Council: Manpower

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many personnel were employed by Somerset county council in  (a) 2001-02,  (b) 2002-03,  (c) 2003-04,  (d) 2004-05 and  (e) 2005-06.

Phil Woolas: Somerset county council employed the following (from the March of each year):
	
		
			   Full- time equivalents 
			 2001-02 9,481 
			 2002-03 9,968 
			 2003-04 11,719 
			 2004-05 11,956 
			 2005-06 12,377 
		
	
	The changes have occurred as a result of some increases in schools, both teaching and non-teaching employees and also as a result of Local Management of Schools and the re-internalisation of some services.
	The increase in joint working and partnership working, with external funding, e.g. NHS, Supporting People Programme, National Care Standards, Older People's Commissioning Strategy, Early Years Initiative, Care Direct, Surestart, Passenger Transport has also increased staff levels. In all of these cases the county council has been the nominated employer.

Temporary Accommodation

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the number of children living in  (a) bed and breakfast and  (b) temporary accommodation; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: Information reported quarterly by local authorities includes the number of households in temporary accommodation on the last day of the quarter, as arranged by the local authority under homelessness legislation. The number of these households which include dependent children or a pregnant woman has been reported since March 2002, and the number of children or expected children in these households has been reported since June 2004.
	Latest figures, for 30 September 2006, show that there were 1,871 dependant children in bed-and-breakfast style accommodation and 129,341 in all forms of total temporary accommodation. Note that these figures also include expected children when a pregnant woman is part of the household.
	The Government have made significant progress in tackling the use of inappropriate temporary accommodation for families assisted under the homelessness legislation. In March 2002, the Government set a target that no family with children should have to live in bed and breakfast provided as temporary accommodation under the homelessness legislation for more than six weeks. At that time, there were 6,960 families living in bed and breakfast as temporary accommodation, of which it was estimated that 3,500—4,000 had been in bed and breakfast for more than six weeks. The target was met by 31 March 2004 and, to ensure it would be sustained, the Government made the "Homelessness (Suitability of Accommodation) (England) Order 2003", which came into force on 1 April 2004. The effect of the order is that, under the homelessness legislation, bed and breakfast cannot not be regarded as suitable accommodation for families with children unless alternative accommodation is not available, and even then cannot be regarded as suitable for more than six weeks.
	In addition, in January 2005 the Government announced in "Homes for All" its commitment to halve the number of all households in temporary accommodation by 2010, and more recently on 14 November 2006, a further commitment that by 2010, no 16 or 17-year-olds should be placed in bed-and-breakfast accommodation by a local authority under the homelessness legislation, except in an emergency.

Urban Areas: Cheltenham

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the likely population of the Cheltenham urban area referred to in the Draft Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) for the South West 2006 to 2026  (a) with and  (b) without implementation of the RSS, broken down by age bands, for each year from 2006 to 2026.

Yvette Cooper: The total population of Cheltenham borough area given in the 2001 Census was 110,013. For the urban area, which excludes rural parts of the borough, but includes the contiguous urban area, which crosses local authority boundaries) the Census figure was 110,320. The most recent population projections published by the Office for National Statistics for the local authority area, indicates a population increase from 111,900 in 2006 to 120,100 in 2026. The projections are trend based and policy neutral. They do not illustrate either the implementation or non implementation of any strategy but indicate a continuation of existing trends. Unfortunately these projections are not published for the contiguous urban area.
	The proposed housing figures contained in the draft RSS were submitted by the South West Regional Assembly based on proposals put to it by Gloucestershire county council. The Member for Cheltenham would need to ask those bodies what assumptions they have made about the likely population of the Cheltenham area and the implications of the implementation or non implementation of those RSS proposals. Following the end of the current Examination in Public into the RSS in July this year and the subsequent submission of the Panel report, Government will then consider the recommendations in it, and the most up to date evidence, before considering the need to accept the RSS or propose changes to it.

Westminster City Council: Temporary Accommodation

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will seek a report from Westminster city council on the number of statutorily homeless households currently being placed in temporary accommodation outside its area.

Yvette Cooper: Officials are working closely with Westminster council to ensure, wherever possible, homeless households that are placed into temporary accommodation remain within the borough.

Bosnia: Peace Keeping Operations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her Ministerial colleagues at the Ministry of Defence on the length of time she expectsa military presence to remain in  (a) Bosnia and  (b) Kosovo; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is in regular contact with the Ministry of Defenceand other Government Departments about military commitments in the Balkans.
	The UK works closely with our international partners, both in NATO and the EU, to ensure that an appropriate military presence is maintained. There are two military missions—NATO Kosovo Force (KFOR) and the EU military mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUFOR) Operation Althea. Both are subject to regular review to ensure their posture remains appropriate. The UK currently contributes around 200 troops to KFOR and a handful of staff officers in EUFOR headquarters, along with a battalion to the shared EU-NATO Balkans operation reserve force.

China: Dual Nationality

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people imprisoned in China have joint British/Chinese nationality.

Ian McCartney: The Chinese Government does not recognise dual nationality and thus British nationalsof Chinese descent detained in China are considered Chinese. The authorities do not notify us of the detention of people in this category. We do not know how many may be detained.

Cyprus: EC Trade

Edward O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the operation of the Green Line regulation adopted by the EU for trade between the two communities in Cyprus; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The Green Line continues to contribute towards intra-island trade and economic interaction between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. We welcome all such interaction. The scope of goods able to cross the Green Line under the regulation remains limited which itself restricts the volume of trade occurring. As the EU Commission acknowledged inits 2006 annual report, both political and practical obstacles remain to the effective functioning of the regulation. The Government continue to encourage both sides to lift all restrictions to maximise the potential of the Regulation.

Departments: Northern Ireland

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will placein the Library a copy of the concordat governingthe relationship between her Department and the Northern Ireland administration.

Ian McCartney: The Concordat on International Relations (D3) between the Government and the Northern Ireland Executive Committee is contained in the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government, Scottish Ministers, the Cabinet of the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Executive Committee. The Memorandum and associated Concordats, (Cm 5240), was presented to Parliament and a copy placed in the Library of the House in December 2001.
	The principles set out in the Memorandum of Understanding and Supplementary Agreements between the Government, Scottish Ministers, the Cabinet of the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Executive, published in 2001 continue to underpin our working relationship with the Northern Ireland Executive.

Departments: Public Participation

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many public consultations her Department undertook in the last12 months; and what the cost was of each consultation.

Geoff Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not carried out any public consultations in the last 12 months.

Departments: Surveys

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff surveys her Department undertook in the last12 months; and at what total cost.

Geoff Hoon: In the last 12 months the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has conducted the following staff engagement surveys:
	Two separate "wave" surveys (designed to follow up our all-staff engagement survey undertaken in January/February 2006) were conducted in September 2006 and January 2007. Each wave survey targeted 25 per cent. of our staff. The total cost of both wave surveys was £12,409.38.
	UKvisas carried out a staff engagement survey of UKvisas local staff in early 2007 at a cost of £3,719.81.
	As part of its Investors in People accreditation the FCO carries out e-surveys. In tranche 1 (October/November 2006) the FCO conducted e-surveys covering 14 FCO departments and overseas posts. The cost was £2,453.
	Within the last 12 months, FCO Services separately conducted an opinion survey of all its staff. Costs for the survey totalled £18,512, with supplementary reporting currently being undertaken at an estimated cost of £4,600.

Ethiopia: Politics and Government

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received of the recent conviction of members of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy in Ethiopia; what discussions she has had with her Ethiopian counterpart on these convictions; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: On 11 June, judges in the trialof the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) leadership ruled that those members who chose not to defend themselves were all guilty of one or more charges brought against them by the prosecution. Sentencing is scheduled around 8 July. Cases for those who have chosen to defend themselves began on18 June.
	I have not discussed the convictions of the CUD leadership with my Ethiopian counterpart.
	We are unable to interfere in the judicial affairs of other countries. However, we continue to monitor the ongoing trial of the CUD leadership. We urge the government and all political parties in Ethiopia to commit themselves to resolving their differences through dialogue.

Israel: Frontiers

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will urge the Israeli Government to stop the construction of the fence/wall inside the west bank, including East Jerusalem.

Kim Howells: We regularly raise our concerns about the routing of the barrier with the Israeli Government and will continue to do so. We fully recognise Israel's right to self- defence. But the barrier's route should be on or behind the green line, and not on occupied territory. Construction of the barrier on Palestinian land is illegal and is particularly damaging around East Jerusalem where it threatens to divide the west bankin two.

Languages: Education

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consultation she conducted with foreign language  (a) teaching and  (b) using staff in (i) her and (ii) other departments on the decision to outsource her Department's language-teaching operation.

Geoff Hoon: holding answer 21 June 2007
	In its review of language training provision, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Services consulted stakeholders, including senior language training managers. It decided in light of this work and a review of its wider activities that its language training operation was uneconomic and that it should withdraw from providing language training as it moved to Trading Fund status.
	A separate FCO review of language training policy, which concluded that language training needed to be provided in different ways, involved consultationwith users of language training services from the FCO and other Government Departments. Following that review, the decision was taken to outsource the language teaching operation.

Middle East: Peace Keeping Operations

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the  (a) contribution of EUCOPPS to the promotion of law and order in Palestine and  (b) constraints on the work of EUCOPPS caused by (i) conflict among Palestinian groups, (ii) actions of the government of Israel and (iii) policies pursued by the international community; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: Created during the UK Presidency of the EU in 2005, the EU Police Mission for the Palestinian Territories (EUPOLCOPPS) was launched as a three-year European Security and Defence Policy mission on 1 January 2006. EUPOLCOPPS aims to assist in the implementation of the Palestinian Civil Police Development Plan, designed to support the development of a transparent and accountable Palestinian police force and to co-ordinate EU and—where requested—international assistance to the Palestinian Civil Police.
	Following the election success of Hamas in January 2006, and the Quartet's statement to suspend all diplomatic and political contacts with and assistanceto the newly elected government, the role of EUPOLCOPPS was seriously restricted and was unable to carry out its full mandate. During this period EUPOLCOPPS confined its activities to monitoring and maintenance of existing investments in the Palestinian Civil Police infrastructure, sustaining existing contacts in and around the Palestinian Civil Police and analysing and reporting on developments in the security sector.
	We support the re-engagement of EUPOLCOPPS with the Palestinian Authority.

Nigeria: Fraud

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in assisting the Nigerian authorities to develop the capacity to tackle e-mail fraud and other financial crime as referred to in the answer to the hon. Member for Huddersfield (Mr. Sheerman) of 23 November 2005,  Official Report, column 2133W, on Nigeria.

Ian McCartney: The UK and Nigerian authorities, including the British Police and the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), have made significant progress on working together to tackle financial crime since 2005.
	This co-operation is yielding results. The Metropolitan Police Proceeds of Corruption Unit has so far restrained £34.6 million of Nigerian assets, and nearly £5 million has been returned to the Nigerian authorities. For example, investigations into the finances of ex-governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, resulted in almost£1 million being returned to Nigeria in July 2006. We have also been active in international fora. In 2005 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office provided the UN Office on Drugs and Crime with £240,000 for a three year project to strengthen the capacity of the EFCC. We were instrumental in securing European Commission support for US$ 24.7 million for the EFCC to provide equipment and technical support as well as to strengthen the capacity of the judicial system to prosecute in cases of economic and financial crimes, including e-mail fraud.

North Korea: Diplomatic Relations

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the main achievements of the UK diplomatic presence in North Korea over the last12 months.

Ian McCartney: Our embassy in Pyongyang has achieved a great deal despite the very difficult operating environment. Our ambassador and officials have been able both to put to Korean ministers our concerns about human rights in their country and to urge them to abandon their nuclear programme. As our embassy is the only representative of the P3 in Pyongyang our voice, especially on these issues, is particularly important.

North Korea: Nuclear Weapons

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received of North Korea's most recent testing of a short range ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The media reported on 19 June that North Korea had test fired a short-range missile into the Sea of Japan.
	We have since consulted our international partners and concluded that, contrary to initial media reporting, North Korea did not test fire any missiles on 19 June.
	Recent media reporting on 21 June also reflected that North Korea did not conduct a missile test launch on 19 June.

Occupied Territories

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether she held discussions with EU partners in the week commencing 18 June on Israeli settlement building on the E1 plan and elsewhere in the West Bank; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary did not hold any discussions about settlement activity in the West Bank with her EU counterparts in the week commencing 18 June.
	Settlements are illegal under international lawand settlement activity is an obstacle to peace. The Roadmap is clear that Israel should freeze all settlement construction including the "natural growth" of existing settlements, and dismantle all outposts built since 2001. The EU will not recognise any changes to the pre-1967 borders other than those agreed by both parties. We support this. Our Ambassador in Tel Aviv raised our concerns about settlement activity with Israeli Foreign Minister Livni on 28 May.

Occupied Territories

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether she held discussions with the government of Israel in the week commencing 18 June on the demolition or planned demolition by Israel of homes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed house demolitions with the Israeli government in the week commencing 18 June.
	Punitive house demolitions—the demolition ofthe homes of the families of suicide bombers and militants—were suspended on 17 February 2005. However, due to Israeli restrictions on the grantingof housing permits to Palestinians in Jerusalem, Palestinians often build houses without obtaining permits. These homes are then demolished and heavy fines imposed. We are concerned about Israel's policy of house demolitions, especially in East Jerusalem, which leaves hundreds of Palestinians homeless each year and threatens to change the nature of some areas of the city. We have repeatedly raised our concerns with the Israeli authorities.

Occupied Territories: Exports

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether she held discussions with the government of Israel during the week commencing 18 June on the  (a) labelling and  (b) claiming of trade preferences on goods producedin Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and imported to the EU; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Government have not had any discussions with the Government of Israel on these issues during the week commencing 18 June.
	Under a technical arrangement adopted by the EU-Israel Customs Co-operation Committee on 12 December 2004 all imports from Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and claiming Israeli preferential origin have been required since 1 February 2005 to indicate the place of production and accompanying zip code. The full rate of customs duty is payable on any consignment which is indicated as originating in a settlement.

Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences: Christianity

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the Pakistani Government on the suspension of Christian students and teaching staff at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences nursing school in Rawalpindi.

Kim Howells: We do not usually raise individualcases and have not made representations about the suspension of students and staff at the nursing school in Rawalpindi. However, we do regularly raise our concerns over the difficult situation facing Christian and other minority groups with the Government of Pakistan. Most recently, in May, we again voiced our concerns over the treatment of religious minorities in Pakistan, together with our EU partners.

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether her Department has offered  (a) financial and  (b) other support to the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We continue to support Palestinian President Abbas. At the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council on 18 June, the EU agreed to resume normal relations with the Palestinian Authority and are looking urgently at direct financial support to the government; support to the Palestinian Civilian Police through the resumption of the EU Police Mission for the Palestinian Territories (EUPOLCOPPS); the resumption of EU Border Assistance Mission Rafah (EUBAM RAF AH); and intensive efforts to build the institutions of the future Palestinian state. The UK has seconded staff to EUPOLCOPPS and the EUBAM RAFAH. In addition, we have provided non-lethal equipment tothe Presidential Guard and radio equipment to the Palestinian Civil Police.
	We support President Abbas' efforts to move the peace process forward. The Quartet (EU, US, UN and Russia) have also given their full support to President Abbas.

Palestinians: Politics and Government

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what discussions she had with EU partners in the week commencing 18 June on the situation in the West Bank and Gaza; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  whether she held discussions with the government of Israel during the week commencing 18 June 2007 on the future of the EU-Israel Association agreement; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  whether she held discussions with the government of Israel in the week commencing 18 June 2007 on the impact of Israel's actions on the effectiveness of association agreements between the EU and Palestine; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  whether she held discussions with EU partners during the week commencing 18 June 2007 on the EU-Israel Association agreement; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: At the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council on 18 June my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, along with other EU Foreign Ministers, discussed the peace process with Israeli Foreign Minister Livni. They discussed the current situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and next steps. There was no discussion of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.

Palestinians: Politics and Government

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she had with the  (a) Palestine Liberation Organisation and  (b) Palestinian Authority in the week commencing 18 June on the situation in the West Bank and Gaza; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials at our Consulate-General in Jerusalem arein regular contact with members of the Palestine Liberation Organisation and the Palestinian Authority.

Project Al Yamamah

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 15 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1377W, on Project Al Yamamah, whether the Economic Counsellor gave a written submission to the Government when he met her Department's officials on 19 January 2007 to discuss the termination of the Serious Fraud Office's investigations; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The Economic Counsellor from the US embassy gave no written submission on this subject, which was not the main topic of the meeting, when he met with Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials on 19 January.

Project Al Yamamah

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 15 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1377W, on Project Al Yamamah, whether she has discussed the issue with her US counterpart; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: There have been no discussions between Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers and US counterparts. But my officials have regular contact with their US counterparts at Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development meetings.

Uganda: Elections

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the likelihood of  (a) free and fair elections in Uganda in 2011 and  (b) implementation of the recommendations of the European Union and Commonwealth Election Observers in that country; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what discussions she has had with Commonwealth representatives on the implementation of their election observer recommendations for the Ugandan authorities; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: We have a regular dialogue with the Government of Uganda on all aspects of developing multi-party democracy and engaging with the opposition, building towards the next elections in 2011. We will press for the elections to be free and fair,and build on the recommendations made by the international observer groups following the 2006 elections.
	We also continue to have high level contacts withthe Commonwealth Secretariat and EU partners ona range of issues in Uganda, including political governance and deepening democracy.
	I refer the hon. Member to the replies I gave to the my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) on 23 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1316W, and4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 251W.

UN Human Rights Council

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on proposals to abolish the UN Human Rights Council envoy posts charged with reporting on  (a) Belarus,  (b) Cuba,  (c) North Korea,  (d) Burma,  (e) Somalia,  (f) Sudan and  (g) Uzbekistan.

Ian McCartney: When the UN Human Rights Council was established in March 2006, it was tasked with reviewing its tools and mechanisms, including its so-called Special Procedures (for example Special Rapporteurs and Independent Experts dedicated to specific country situations). On 18 June, the Council agreed a package of measures at the conclusion of this review. Throughout the review the UK consistently took a strong position, nationally and with the rest of the EU, in favour of maintaining all the existing country-specific and thematic Special Procedures. There was a great deal of opposition at the Councilto the continuation of country-specific Special Procedures. I was profoundly disappointed that, because of this opposition, the mandates of the Special Rapporteurs on the human rights situations in Cuba and Belarus were not renewed. The situations in both those countries continue to be of deep concern and we will continue to monitor the situation in each closely. I was, however, pleased that the mandates of all the other country-specific Special Procedures (including the Special Rapporteurs on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Burma and Sudan, and the Independent Expert appointed by the UN Secretary-General on the situation of human rights in Somalia) were renewed.
	The Council inherited an Independent Expert on the human rights situation in Uzbekistan, created through the confidential complaints procedure under the old UN Commission on Human Rights. At its fourth session (12-30 March) the UN Human Rights Council discontinued consideration of the specific file relating to Uzbekistan under its confidential complaints procedure. The confidential nature of that procedure prevents us from commenting on any details of the cases and on the position taken by the UK. We do, however, emphasise strongly our deep concern over persistent violations of human rights in Uzbekistan.
	The Council also agreed on 18 June a new system of universal periodic review, which will look at every state's individual work on human rights implementation, including Cuba's and Uzbekistan's.

Western Sahara

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her  (a) Moroccan counterparts and  (b) counterparts at the United Nations on the disputed area of Western Sahara; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed the Western Sahara with her Moroccan or UN counterparts, but my hon. Friend the Minister for the Middle East (Dr. Howells), has discussed the issue with Moroccan ministers twice this year, in February and April, and UK officials in New York are in regular contact with the UN and representatives of the parties to the dispute.
	The UK regards the status of Western Sahara as undetermined, pending UN efforts to find a solution. To this end, the UK fully supports the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy tothe Western Sahara, Peter Van Walsum, to assist the parties to achieve a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, which will provide for the self determination of the people of Western Sahara.
	On 30 April the UN Security Council, chaired by the UK, adopted UN Security Council Resolution 1754, which took note of Morocco's proposal presented to the UN Secretary-General on 11 April, and calledfor both sides to enter into negotiations without preconditions.
	The UK welcomes the first round of these talks between Morocco, the Polisario, and their neighbours, hosted by the UN on 18-19 June and the agreement by all parties to take part in a further round in August.

Yemen: Terrorism

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what stepsthe Government are taking to assist the Yemeni government in fighting terrorism.

Ian McCartney: We maintain a wide-ranging dialogue with the Government of Yemen including on issues relating to counter terrorism (CT). We are supporting the Yemeni government in developing its CT capability, for example the provision of training for the nascent national coastguard. My hon. Friend the Minister for the Middle East, (Dr. Howells), has made two visits to Yemen, in January 2006 and 2007; on both occasions, he expressed the hope that our bilateralCT exchanges would continue to develop.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Sussex

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the most recent waiting time levels were in accident and emergency departments in all Sussex hospitals.

Andy Burnham: The Department does not collect accident and emergency (A&E) waiting time data at individual hospital level. Information is available at trust level. The following table provides the percentage of patients spending under four hours between arrival in A&E and admission, transfer or discharge for the latest period for which data has been published.
	
		
			  Percentage of patients spending under four hours between arrival in A&E and admission, transfer or discharge, quarter 4 (January to March) 2007 
			  Organisation  Percentage of patients 
			 Royal West Sussex NHS Trust 98.2 
			 Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust 97.6 
			 Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust 94.3 
			 East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust 97.6 
			  Source: Department of Health dataset QMAE.

Ambulance Services: Sussex

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many 999 calls for Sussex ambulances have been received in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many category A incidents have been attended by Sussex ambulances in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority district.

Andy Burnham: Information on number of emergency calls and number of category A incidents is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Emergency calls and emergency incidents (calls resulting in response arriving at the scene of the incident) by specified ambulance service( 1) , 2002-03 to 2006-07 
			  2006 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  Q1  Q2-4  Ql-4 
			  Emergency calls 
			 South East Coast Ambulance Trust 403,267 436,142 460,323 493,022 116,882 377,484 494,366 
			 Kent Ambulance NHS Trust 144,764 158,121 166,732 182,320 39,343 n/a n/a 
			 Surrey Ambulance Service NHS Trust 99,145 105,007 112,886 121,794 30,794 n/a n/a 
			 Sussex Ambulance NHS Trust 159,358 173,014 180,705 188,908 46,745 n/a n/a 
			 
			  Category A incidents 
			 South East Coast Ambulance Trust 89,243 96,149 95,736 117,438 31,221 111,155 142,376 
			 Kent Ambulance NHS Trust 39,258 42,257 39,932 44,185 11,414 n/a n/a 
			 Surrey Ambulance Service NHS Trust 25,384 24,922 26,226 33,348 8,445 n/a n/a 
			 Sussex Ambulance NHS Trust 24,601 28,970 29,578 39,905 11,362 n/a n/a 
			 n/a = not applicable. (1) On 1 July 2006, Sussex ambulance service merged with Surrey ambulance service and Kent ambulance service to become South East Coast Ambulance Service Trust. Data is only available for ambulance trusts, it is not available for the location of the incident.  Source: Form KA34 Information Centre for Health and Social Care

Benzodiazepines

Doug Naysmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions of  (a) benzodiazepine drugs and  (b) antidepressants were dispensed in the community in England in 2006.

Caroline Flint: In 2006, 10.769 million prescription items were dispensed for benzodiazepines in the community in England. Benzodiazepines are definedin section 4.1.1 and 4.1.2 of the British National Formulary (BNF). Benzodiazepines defined in section 4.8.1 of the BNF for the treatment for epilepsy are not included.
	In the same period, 31.038 million prescription items were dispensed for antidepressants in the community in England, as defined in section 4.3 of the BNF.
	Prescription information is taken from the Prescription Cost Analysis system, supplied by the Prescription Pricing Division of the Business Services Authority.

Broadband: Health Hazards

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the potential effects on the health of  (a) adults and  (b) children of radio waves from home wireless broadband systems; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The independent Advisory Groupon Non-ionising Radiation (AGNIR) undertook a comprehensive assessment of radio waves and healthin 2003. Its report, entitled "Health Effects from Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields", was published by the then National Radiological Protection Board (now the Radiation Protection Division of the Health Protection Agency (HPA)). Copies are available in the Library and on the HPA website:
	www.hpa.org.uk/radiation/publications/documents_of_nrpb/abstracts/absd14-2.htm
	All devices that emit radio waves (such as wireless internet) should be used in compliance with the exposure guidelines published by the International Commission on Non-ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) as specified in the European Recommendation on limiting public exposure to electromagnetic fields (EC/519/1999).
	Information about wireless devices and health is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Aboutus/MinistersandDepartmentLeaders/ChiefMedicalOfficer/Features/FeaturesArchive/Browsable/DH_5369553
	The Government acknowledges further advice provided by the HPA at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/radiation/understand/radiation_topics/emf/wifi.htm
	This states:
	"There is no consistent evidence to date that WiFi and wireless local area networks adversely affect the health of the general population. The signals are very low power, typically 0.1 watt (100 milliwatts) in both the computer and the router (access point) and the results so far show exposures are well within internationally accepted (ICNIRP) guidelines. Based on current knowledge and experience, radio frequency (RF) exposures from WiFi are likely to be lower than those from mobile phones. Also, the frequencies used in WiFi are broadly the same as those from traditional RF applications."

Children: Abuse

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance has been issued by her Department on the covert monitoring of parents while on hospital premises for the detection and prevention of child abuse.

Ivan Lewis: The full guidance issued by the Department, "Safeguarding Children in Whom Illness is Fabricated or Induced", contains relevant guidance on covert monitoring of parents on hospital premises. Copies have been placed in the Library and are available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH4008714

Dental Services: Hartlepool

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what basis the allocations of funding for children's orthodontic services for Hartlepool for 2006-07 and 2007-08 were made; if she will take action to improve children's orthodontic services in Hartlepool; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The resource allocations for primary dental care services awarded to primary care trusts (PCTs) for 2006-07 were based on expenditure on general dental services and personal dental services pilots in each PCT area during the reference period October 2004 to September 2005. This captured payments for both general dental services and specialist services such as orthodontic services. The allocations also included adjustments to reflect nationally agreed increases in dentists' remuneration, provision for growth plans previously submitted to and approved by the Department, and some margin to accommodate any new services that may have started during or after the reference period but could not be fully reflected in the calculation of reference period earnings.
	The resource allocations for 2007-08 included additional funding to allow for factors such as 2007-08 increases in dentists1 remuneration and adjustmentsin the expected levels of patient charge income. Hartlepool PCT received a 7.1 per cent. increase in its 2007-08 dental funding allocation, net of income from patient charges.
	PCTs are responsible for developing dental services in their area to reflect local needs and priorities. Subject to honouring existing contracts, PCTs are free to vary the balance of resources committed to general dental services and to specialist services such as orthodontics. PCTs may also make additional investment in services from within their total national health service resources, if they consider this an appropriate local priority. The Department has provided a range of guidance and support to PCTs to support effective commissioning of orthodontic services and help promote access to high-quality services.

Departments: Aviation

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many flights to overseas destinations were taken by  (a) civil servants and  (b) Ministers in her Department in each of the last three calendar years; and what the total cost of such flights were.

Ivan Lewis: This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Since 1999, the Government have published on an annual basis a list of all overseas visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500, as well as the total cost of all ministerial travel overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Library. Information for 2006-07 is currently being compiled and will be published before the summer recess. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the "Civil Service Management Code, the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers".

Departments: Consultants

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Healthif she will list the outside  (a) agencies and  (b) consultancies which are undertaking work commissioned by her Department; and what the (i) purpose and (ii) cost is of each commission.

Andy Burnham: The Department does not collect information in the format requested.
	A new system will be introduced in April 2008 called SHOWA, which will be able to track consultant spend for the Department.

Departments: Delivery Unit

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 284W, on departments: Delivery Unit, 
	(1)  what the conclusions were of the review of the overall NHS reform programme;
	(2)  what the findings were of the review of the overall NHS reform programme.

Andy Burnham: The findings and conclusions of NHS reform programme reports of the joint review by the Department of Health and the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit comprise confidential policy advice to the Prime Minister and Ministers, and are not published.

Departments: Delivery Unit

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 284W, on departments: Delivery Unit, what the  (a) start date and  (b) end date was of each review; and on which date a final report was produced for each.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Name of review  Start date  End date 
			 18 Weeks 13 June 2006 13 September 2006 
			 Choice of four providers 22 September 2006 2 November 2006 
			 Practice-based commissioning 27 November 2006 26 February 2007 
			 Overall NHS reform programme 19 February 2007 22 March 2007 
			 Childhood obesity February 2006 3 November 2006 
			 Child and adolescent mental health services September 2006 3 November 2006 
			 Primary care trust capability 5 March 2007 16 May 2007 
		
	
	The date of final reports produced are the same as the end dates.

Departments: Delivery Unit

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 284W, on departments: Delivery Unit, if she will place in the Library copies of the terms of reference for the reviews of  (a) 18 weeks,  (b) the overall NHS reform programme,  (c) childhood obesity and  (d) primary care trust capability.

Andy Burnham: The reports of joint reviews by the Department and the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit comprise confidential policy advice to the Prime Minister and Ministers, and are not published.

Departments: Foreign Relations

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many Memoranda of Understanding are in force as a result of agreements with foreign governments entered into by Ministers in her Department; and what executive actions each entails.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has entered into numerous memoranda of understanding (MOU) with a large number of countries over the years. The purpose and content of these agreements varies considerably, as does the amount of activity taking place under them. For this reason, we are currently evaluating the impact and effectiveness of our memoranda. This will inform a more strategic approach in line with the Global Health Strategy, which the Government are currently developing.
	The following table details our principal bilateral agreements. However, we also have several separate reciprocal health care agreements with other countries on access to treatment abroad. This information is available on www.dh.dh.gov.uk/travellers
	
		
			  Department of Health principal bilateral agreements 
			  Country  Type of agreement  Date of expiry  Area covered 
			 Belgium Framework Both countries to review annually Co-operation on health care 
			 Brazil MOU 2011 Collaboration and exchange of expertise 
			 Bulgaria Plan of Co-operation 2009 Co-operation on health care 
			 China MOU 2010 Co-operation on health care 
			 China Letter of Intent 2007 Co-operation on ethical recruitment 
			 Egypt MOU Ongoing Co-operation on health care 
			 France Joint Statement of Intent Ongoing Co-operation on health care 
			 Hong Kong MOU 2009 Co-operation on mutual interests 
			 Libya Letter of Intent 2008 Co-operation on primary care and management issues 
			 Mexico MOU 2007 Co-operation on health care 
			 Shanghai MOU 2007 Co-operation on hospital development 
			 South Africa MOU 2008 Exchange of educational concepts and personnel 
			 USA Joint Statement Ongoing Quality of care 
			 USA Joint Statement Ongoing Health consequences of terrorism

Departments: Home Working

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in her Department have been allowed to work from home for part of the week in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement on her Department's policy on home working.

Ivan Lewis: The Departments human resource information system currently records four staff as members of its home-working scheme. The Department also allows staff to work at home on an occasional basis at management discretion. No data is kept on these ad hoc arrangements that enable staff to enjoy a more flexible, family friendly working arrangement.
	Our policy is in line with approaches commonly adopted across the civil service and reflects good practice followed by organisations more widely.

Departments: Manpower

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of staff in her Department are  (a) male,  (b) female,  (c) registered disabled and (d) aged 55 or over.

Ivan Lewis: As at the end of March 2007, the Department's records show that 46.6 per cent. of staff are male, 53.4 per cent. of staff are female, 5.8 per cent. have made a declaration as registered disabled and11.5 per cent. are aged 55 and over.

Departments: Marketing

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which advertising and marketing campaigns were run by  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years; which external agencies were involved; and what the cost was of each campaign.

Ivan Lewis: The following tables outline advertising campaigns undertaken by the Department, the cost of each and the external advertising agencies involved, in the last five years.
	
		
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			  Campaign  Ad vertising spend (£  million )  Agency  Ad vertising  spend (£  million )  Agency  Ad vertising  spend   (£  million )  Agency 
			 Antibiotics 0.41 n/a 0.42 n/a — — 
			 Drugs (joint with HO) 1.52 Mother 1.50 Mother 1.99 Mother 
			 Flu 2.00 Euro RSCG 1.60 Euro RSCG 1.50 Euro RSCG 
			 Hepatitis C — — — — — — 
			 Immunisation 1.00 DDB 2.00 DDB 2.00 DDB 
			 National health service including nurse recruitment 4.23 Leo Burnett 4.90 Leo Burnett 5.84 Leo Burnett 
			 NHS Direct 0.58 Euro RSG 0.75 Euro RSG — — 
			 Organ donation 0.22 n/a — — — — 
			 Prescription fraud 0.30 n/a — — — — 
			 Sexwise/teenage pregnancy 160 DLKW 2.00 DKLW — — 
			 Sexual health 1.50 DLKW 1.50 DLKW 1.27 DLKW 
			 Social care/worker recruitment 1.24 Leo Burnett 4.62 Leo Burnett 2.14 Leo Burnett 
			 Smoking 7.87 AMV 17.34 AMV 24.00 AWV 
			 Walk-in centres — — — — 0.20 Euro RSCG 
			 Writer (Get the right treatment) 0.25 Euro RSCG 1.75 Euro RSCG 0.59 Euro RSCG 
			 Promoting new NHS services (Caring in many ways) — — — — 0.85 Euro RSCG 
			 E111 — — — — 0.32 CST 
		
	
	
		
			   2005-06  2006 - 07 
			  Campaign  Ad vertising  spend (£  million )  Agency  Ad vertising  spend (£  million )  Agency 
			 Antibiotics 0.39 n/a — — 
			 Drugs (joint with HO) 1.26 Mother — Mother 
			 Flu 1.85 Euro RSCG 1.10 Euro RSCG 
			 Hepatitis C — — 0.52 CST 
			 Immunisation 0.35 DDB 1.60 DDB 
			 National health service including nurse recruitment 0.02 Leo Burnett — — 
			 NHS Direct — — — — 
			 Organ donation — — — — 
			 Prescription fraud — — — — 
			 Sexwise/teenage pregnancy — — — — 
			 Sexual health   2.66 DLKW 
			 Social care/worker recruitment 2.44 Leo Burnett 2.29 LOWE 
			 Smoking 22.7 AMV 12.47 MCBD/Farm 
			 Walk-in centres — Euro RSCG — — 
			 Writer (Get the right treatment) 0.59 Euro RSCG — — 
			 Promoting new NHS services (Caring in many ways) — — — — 
			 E111 1.37 CST — —

Departments: Private Finance Initiative

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the value is of the unitary payments of each private finance initiative scheme overseen by her Department over the lifetime of the contract, expressed in 2007-08 prices and discounted to present value.

Andy Burnham: A full list of unitary payments to 2033/34 can be found on the HM Treasury website at:
	www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/documents/public_partnerships/ppp_pfi_stats.cfm
	The figures in the table are expressed in nominal terms, that is, the Department has applied a deflator (retail price index (RPI)—the one normally used in contracts) to the baseline figure submitted to it by the trust or primary care trust concerned. Figures will therefore vary as a result of changes to RPI.
	Unitary payments may also fluctuate both up and down as a result of adjustments made relating to the performance of the contractor, additional services requested by the trust and the effect of refinancing.

Departments: Remploy

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Health what  (a) services and  (b) products her Department has procured from Remploy in the last12 months; and at what cost.

Ivan Lewis: The Department's finance system, Vista, shows one purchase order has been raised for Remploy in the last 12 months. The products procured were a quadrant corner unit and filing cabinet at a total cost of £3,400.31. No services were procured from Remploy.

Departments: Sick Leave

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what average number of days per year was taken by staff in her Department as sick leave in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is available in a series of annual reports entitled 'Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service', published by the Cabinet Office and is available on their website at:
	www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/occupational_health/publications/index.asp
	The latest available information is for 2005-06. The report for 2006-07 will be published in September 2007.

Dietary Supplements: EC law

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps officials based in British embassies to other European Union member states are taking to ensure that the Government's objectives for the interpretation and implementation of the Food Supplements Directive are met;
	(2)  what steps the staff of the UK permanent representative in Brussels are taking to ensure that the Government's stated objectives for the interpretation and implementation of the Food Supplements Directive are met;
	(3)  what recent representations she has received from consumers on the interpretation and implementation of the Food Supplements Directive; and what stepsshe plans to take to ensure her objectives for the interpretation and implementation of the Directive are met;
	(4)  what meetings have been held by  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials of her Department and associated agencies with (i) representatives of the European Commission, (ii) governments of other member states and (iii) officials of other member states on the Food Supplements Directive (vitamins and minerals); what the date was of each meeting; what points were raised at each; and what conclusions reached;
	(5)  when she last met Commissioner Markos Kyprianou to discuss the impact on consumer choice and the specialist manufacturing and retail sector of the implementation of the Food Supplements Directive and the setting of maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in supplements under article 5 of that Directive; what the outcome was of that meeting; and when next she plans to meet the Commissioner further to discuss these issues.

Caroline Flint: Bilateral meetings of Health Ministers were held with Germany, Lithuania and Portugal in November 2006. Bilateral meetings of officials were held with Netherlands, Ireland, Finland, Germany, France and Italy in 2006. Additional meetings were held with the Netherlands in November 2006 and with German officials in March 2007. Officials have regular contact with the Commission and most recently met with Commission officials in November 2006.
	The meetings were held to highlight the United Kingdom's (UK) position on supplements and discuss the outcome of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) Board discussions on setting maximum levels of vitamins and minerals. Member states were receptive to the ideas presented by the FSA but had not developed their own definitive positions in the absence of proposals from the Commission. The Commission welcomed the UK Government's response to the discussion document published in June 2006 on issues for setting levels of vitamins and minerals in foodstuffs and commented that previous work taken forward by the UK in 2003 on establishing safe upper levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements will be a key factor in developing future proposals. Ministers of other member states have not been engaged on the issue of setting maximum levels of vitamins and minerals in food supplements to date, but were receptive to the UK's views and wished to learn more about the UK's position.
	A meeting has not been held with Commissioner Markos Kyprianou to discuss the impact on consumer choice and the specialist manufacturing and retail sector of the implementation of the food supplements directive and the setting of maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in supplements under article 5 of that Directive. A future meeting has not been planned.
	Representations have been received from consumers on the interpretation and implementation of the food supplements directive, highlighting their concerns regarding the possibility that the Commission intends to propose restrictive daily dose levels for vitamin and mineral supplements and the potential consequent loss of consumer choice. The UK's key objective is for levels to be set based on a risk assessment, and for any controls to ensure safety for consumers and allow them to make informed choices. FSA officials will continue dialogue between the Commission and member states on this issue.
	Officials based in British embassies to other European Union member states have not indicated that they are taking action regarding promotion of the Government's objectives for the interpretation and implementation of the food supplements directive.
	Staff of the UK Permanent Representative in Brussels have been briefed on the Government's stated objectives for the interpretation and implementation of the food supplements directive and are speaking to the Commission directly.

Doctors: Training

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate her Department has made of the number of round 1  (a) offers made and  (b) interviews held through the Medical Training Application Service to date; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The number of offers made is not collected centrally. The number of interviews held in round 1a was approximately 40,800 in the United Kingdom and 32,200 in England. England guaranteed interviews for all first choice applications (other than those for general practice) after repreferencing. The Devolved Administrations offered interviews for all four applications. As a result approximately a further 23,400 interviews were held in the UK; 16,300 in England.

Drugs: Misuse

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of people with an addiction to an illegal drug in each London borough in each year since 1997.

Caroline Flint: The Department has not published estimates on the number of people with an addiction to an illegal drug in London.
	The National Treatment Agency's national drug treatment monitoring system collects data on the numbers of clients in treatment for addiction to all illegal drugs. London data from 2003-04 is shown in the table. Local level data is not available prior to 2003-04.
	
		
			  Number in treatment in London 2003-06 
			  DAT  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Barking and Dagenham 475 571 705 
			 Barnet 347 562 765 
			 Bexley 304 345 364 
			 Brent 730 844 995 
			 Bromley 495 657 715 
			 Camden 2,281 1,834 1,945 
			 City of London 26 20 35 
			 Croydon 849 954 1,098 
			 Ealing 539 1,203 1,599 
			 Enfield 454 608 650 
			 Greenwich 769 782 875 
			 Hackney 821 1,180 1,076 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 915 1,079 1,508 
			 Haringey 807 1,022 1,182 
			 Harrow 448 757 823 
			 Havering 359 482 461 
			 Hillingdon 324 504 600 
			 Hounslow 492 857 1,201 
			 Islington 1,313 1,495 1,540 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 903 1,150 1,205 
			 Kingston upon Thames 234 424 446 
			 Lambeth 1,362 1,527 1,997 
			 Lewisham 970 1,063 1,261 
			 Merton 231 728 762 
			 Newham 687 859 1,051 
			 Redbridge 597 651 806 
			 Richmond upon Thames 413 647 779 
			 Southwark 1,143 1,503 1,876 
			 Sutton 394 564 726 
			 Tower Hamlets 636 1,204 1,489 
			 Waltham Forest 301 626 896 
			 Wandsworth 726 945 1,169 
			 Westminster 1,190 1,392 1,613 
			 Total 22,535 29,039 34,213

Electromagnetic Fields: Health Hazards

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what advice the Government have sought from the Health Protection Agency in relation to the Stakeholder Advisory Group on extremely low frequency electric and magnetic fields (EMFs) report; and how the Government's decision-making process on precautionary measures to prevent public exposure to EMFs will take account of this report;
	(2)  if she will place in the Library a copy of the recent report from the Stakeholder Advisory Group on extremely low frequency electric and magnetic fields.

Caroline Flint: The recently published report from the "Stakeholder Advisory Group on ExtremelyLow Frequency (ELF) Electric and Magnetic Fields (EMF)", known as the SAGE report, is currently under consideration by the Health Protection Agency (HPA). Government have asked HPA for advice concerning the report's recommendations. Government will consider the HPA's advice and, should any further measures be considered as part of a precautionary approach, would consult stakeholders as part of the process. A copy of the SAGE report has been placed in the Library.

General Practitioners

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Rayleigh (Mr. Francois) of 6 June 2007,  Official Report, column 571W, on general practitioners, 
	(1)  what internal mechanism her Department established for considering and informing progress on the contract negotiations;
	(2)  whether there was a start date for the discussions keeping the general medical services contract under constant review; and what the Government's objective is in these discussions;
	(3)  at what level discussions between HM Treasury and her Department take place;
	(4)  whether representatives from other  (a) NHS and  (b) Government bodies or departments were present at the regular update meetings held between the NHS Confederation and her Department.

Andy Burnham: It is normal practice to keep all policy initiatives under review. As with all major initiatives the Departments aim is to improve existing arrangements.
	Revisions of the General Medical Services contract have always sought to secure additional benefits to patients and taxpayers.
	As part of the regular process of this review, discussions between Her Majesty's Treasury and the Department have and continue to take place at both official and ministerial level as appropriate.
	Our regular discussions with NHS Confederation, now NHS Employers, includes representatives from the four health departments and any executive agencies as needed, e.g. Officials from the Information Centre.

Health Professions: Training

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many applications have been received for ST1-4 medical positions by the Medical Training Application Service in the last 12 months; and how many posts were available.

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total number of specialist training places for 2007 intake is, broken down by  (a) deanery and  (b) level of specialist training.

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many applicants are in the process of applying for posts via Modernising Medical Careers; how many posts are available; and how many such posts in the 2007 round are for  (a) specialist training and  (b) fixed-term specialist training appointments;
	(2)  how many applicants there were from Round 1 of Modernising Medical Careers; and how many posts are available.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the following tables and is correct as taken from a survey of English deaneries on the 14 June. However, the numbers will change regularly as additional posts are confirmed during the 2007 recruitment process.
	The number of posts available for the 2007 recruitment process is in the following table.
	
		
			   Posts on MTAS 19 April  
			   Run-through  FTSTA  Academic  Total  Round 1 posts not on MTAS added after 19 April( 1)  Estimated GP posts filled outside MTAS  New run-through programmes in round 2  Estimated new FTSTAs and GP posts in round 2( 1)  Overall total of training posts in 2007( 2) 
			 UK 14,595 4,392 185 19,172 108 3,450 215 302 23,247 
			 England 11,916 3,485 182 15,583 108 2,828 215 302 19,036 
			 (1) Taken from a survey of English deaneries on 14 June. Figure only includes the posts in England and not those in the devolved Administrations because the survey only covered English deaneries. We expect there to be additional new posts in the devolved Administrations. (2) As set out in footnote 1, the UK total does not include the new round 2 posts in the devolved Administrations. 
		
	
	Across the UK, 34,389 candidates submitted applications on MTAS during the first recruitment round and made 127,948 applications. Of these, 32,600(4) applicants made at least one eligible application and a total of 118,600(3) eligible applications are recorded on the MTAS system. Of the eligible applicants, 29,600(3) were already working in training or non-training posts in the NHS.
	The number of posts broken down by deanery is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Numbers updated by English Deanery Survey 14 June 
			   Round 1 posts (including those added after 19 April)  Additional round 2 run-through programmes  Estimated new posts in round 2 (including FTSTAs held back)  Overall total 
			 Eastern 1,178 15 0 1,193 
			 England and Wales Histopathology 64 — — 64 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland(4) 432 — 64 496 
			 London/KSS 4,589 25 125 4,739 
			 Mersey 794 37 0 831 
			 North Western 1,400 17 5 1,422 
			 Northern 976 14 10 1,000 
			 Oxford 628 1 15 644 
			 Severn 665 11 1 677 
			 South Yorkshire and South Humber 529 13 0 542 
			 Southwest Peninsula 489 12 9 510 
			 Trent(4) 586 15 0 601 
			 Wessex 627 12 17 656 
			 West Midlands 1,679 32 34 1,745 
			 Yorkshire 1,055 11 22 1,088 
			 Total England 15,691 215 302 16,208 
			 Defence Medical Services(5) 30 — — 30 
			 Scotland(5) 2,004 — — 2,004 
			 Northern Ireland(5) 525 — — 525 
			 Wales(5) 1,030 — — 1,030 
			 Total UK 19,280 — — 19,797 
			 UK GP posts filled outside MTAs — — — 3,450 
			 Overall Total — — — 23,247 
			 (3) This figure is an estimate derived by inference from the data provided by applicants on the MTAS system. (4) Trent and the Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland deaneries have since combined into a single East Midlands deanery. The additional round 2 run-through programmes for East Midlands have been entered in the Trent UoA row. (5) We do not have any additional information to that on MTAS 19 April. We expect there to be additional new posts in the devolved Administrations. 
		
	
	Number of posts by level as at 19 April on MTAS is shown in the following table (not including GP posts filled outside MTAS, extra round 1 posts added since 19 April, or extra round 2 posts as these cannot be broken down by level.
	
		
			  Level  Type  UK  England 
			 ST1 Total 7,687 6,346 
			  Run-Through 6,058 4,989 
			  FTSTA 1,529 1,258 
			  Academic 100 99 
			 
			 ST2 Total 6,563 5,241 
			  Run-Through 4,106 3,354 
			  FTSTA 2,442 1,872 
			  Academic 15 15 
			 
			 ST3 Total 4,153 3,343 
			  Run-Through 3,673 2,931 
			  FTSTA 417 351 
			  Academic 63 61 
			 
			 ST4 Total 769 653 
			  Run-Through 758 642 
			  FTSTA 4 4 
			  Academic 7 7 
			 Total  19,172 15,583 
			  Note: England figures exclude the devolved Administration deaneries and Defence Medical Services.

Herbal Medicine: EC Law

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Healthif she will require the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency to discuss the identification of products made from organic ingredients with representatives of the manufacturers of herbal remedies marketed under the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Following discussions in 2006 the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency met representatives of the Herbal Forum (a group representing manufacturers' trade associations in the herbal sector) and the Soil Association on14 June 2007 to discuss the development of organic standards which are appropriate to the production of herbal medicinal products, and how products meeting those standards can be identified. We understand that the Herbal Forum intends to bring forward proposals and we will give them careful consideration.

Home Care Services

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons domiciliary consultations by consultants with general practitioners were discontinued by the NHS.

Andy Burnham: There is nothing to stop domiciliary consultations by consultants with general practitioners in principle. However, these should normally be scheduled as part of the programmed activities that make up the consultant's job plan. Alternatively,a consultant may retain any fee that is paid for domiciliary consultations undertaken in the consultant's own time.

Hospitals: Finance

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the projected financial position is of  (a) Sussex County Hospital, Brighton,  (b) Worthing and Southlands Hospital,  (c) Princess Royal, Haywards Heath and  (d) St. Richards Hospital, Chichester for the end of the financial year 2007-08; and what the financial position of each was at the end of the last financial year.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is collected by national health service trusts, and not by hospitals.
	The quarter 4, 2006-07 provisional outturn surplus/(deficit) and 2007-08 provisional plan year end forecast outturn surplus/(deficit) for Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, the Royal West Sussex NHS Trust and the Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust are shown in the table.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  NHS Trust  2006- 0 7 quarter 4 provisional outturn surplus/(deficit)  2007-08 provisional plan year end forecast outturn surplus/(deficit) data 
			 Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS trust (5.3) (4.5) 
			 Worthing and Southlands hospitals NHS trust (6) 0 
			 The Royal West Sussex NHS trust 1.5 0.67 
			  Source: Quarter 4 2006-07 Department of Health financial monitoring returns Financial plans for 2007-08 are subject to final validation and sign-off with the NHS.

Hospitals: Greater London

Derek Conway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the occupation costs were for each of the six hospital trust sites in South East London in each of the last three years.

Ivan Lewis: The information in the table is as provided by the organisation concerned and has not been amended.
	
		
			  Trust name  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Bexley Care Trust 1,627,616 1,559,498 1,869,264 
			 South London and Maudsley NHS Trust 18,196,822 14,903,664 22,948,322 
			 Oxleas NHS Trust 9,916,562 9,681,675 12,218,574 
			 King's College Hospital NHS Trust 19,092,305 23,658,087 26,079,201 
			 Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust 51,474,820 13,434,702 Not available 
			 The Lewisham Hospital NHS Trust 10,509,038 11,517,772 12,823,300 
			 Queen Mary's Sidcup NHS Trust 7,274,001 8,443,453 10,464,410 
			 Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust 6,668,227 6,362,439 18JJ69,437 
			 Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust 10,080,618 11,621,044 13,775,016 
		
	
	The data represents the occupancy costs (capital charges, rent, rates, maintenance, energy and utility) for the trusts in the South East London Strategic Health Authority for the last three years it was collected.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many incidents of hospital acquired infections have been reported at  (a) Sussex County Hospital, Brighton,  (b) Worthing Hospital and  (c) St Richard's Hospital, Chichester in each of the last five years.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not available. The best available information is from the mandatory surveillance system, which provides the data for acute national health service trusts in England rather than individual hospitals on the following:
	the number of reports of methicillin resistant  Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) blood stream infections (bacteraemias) from April 2001 to 31 December 2006 (table 1);
	the number of reports of  Clostridium difficile for patients aged 65 and over from January 2004 to December 2006 (table 2);
	the number of glycopeptide resistant enterococci (GRE) blood stream infections from 1 October 2003 to 30 September 2005 (table 3); and
	the number of surgical site infections (SSI) reported as part of the mandatory surveillance of SSI following orthopaedic surgery between April 2004 and March 2006 (table 4).
	The Sussex county hospital, Brighton is part of Brighton and Sussex university hospitals NHS trust; St. Richard's hospital, Chichester is part of Royal West Sussex NHS trust and Worthing hospital is part of Worthing and Southlands NHS trust. The mandatory surveillance data for these NHS Trusts are shown in the following tables:
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of reported blood stream infections (bacteraemia) from April 2001 to December 2006 
			   April to March  
			  Trust  2001-02  2002 - 03  2003 - 04  2004- 05  2005 - 06  April 2006 to December 2006 
			 Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust 86 74 107 129 141 80 
			 Royal West Sussex NHS Trust 34 25 23 27 27 19 
			 Worthing and Southlands NHS Trust 21 15 22 34 46 39 
			  Source: Health Protection Agency. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Annual counts of Clostridium difficile from January 2004 to December 2006 
			  January to December 
			  Trust  2004  2005  2006 
			 Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust 368 472 588 
			 Royal West Sussex NHS Trust 270 261 395 
			 Worthing and Southlands NHS Trust 135 195 298 
			  Source: Health Protection Agency. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Glycopeptide resistant enterococci (GRE) blood stream infections from 1 October 2003 to 30 September 2005 
			   1 October to 30 September 
			  Trust  2003-04  2004 - 05 
			 Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust 5 2 
			 Royal West Sussex NHS Trust 0 1 
			 Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust 0 1 
			  Source: Health Protection Agency. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: Surgical site infections from April 2004 to March 2006 
			Number of surgical site infections/number procedures included in surveillance 
			  Trust  Surgical procedure  April 2004 to March 2005  April 2005 to March 2006 
			 Brighton and Sussex NHS Trust Total hip prothesis (1)1/223 (2)4/132 
			  Knee prothesis (1)2/207 (2)3/147 
			  Hip hemiarthroplasty (2)1/121 (2)3/147 
			 
			 Royal West Sussex NHS Trust Total hip prothesis (3)0/141 (3)6/273 
			  Knee prothesis (3)1/136 — 
			  Hip hemiarthroplasty (3)0/45 (3)1/103 
			 
			 Worthing and Southlands NHS Trust Total hip prothesis (4)4/70 — 
			  Knee prothesis — (4)1/70 
			  Hip hemiarthroplasty (4)4/57 — 
			 (1) 9 months data.  (2) 6 months data. (3) 12 months data. (4) 4 months data.  Notes: 1. Trusts can participate in surveillance for part or all of the year. 2. Differences in reported rates of SSI between these trusts are not statistically significant.  Source: Health Protection Agency.

Hospitals: North Yorkshire

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on hospital ward closures in North Yorkshire.

Ivan Lewis: The service modernisation and financial recovery plan of the North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust (PCT) aims to invest £9 million in developing community based services. This will enable patients to access care in their own home where clinically appropriate, which will reduce unnecessary admissions to local acute hospitals, supporting the PCT in its return to financial health.
	The development of community based services and efficiency gains have resulted in changes in bed capacity in the York Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department plans to take to  (a) support and  (b) penalise those health trusts which fail to meet the 18 week waiting time target by the target date in December 2008; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: Specific arrangements for 2008-09 will be set out later in 2007. Currently, primary care trusts and strategic health authorities are responsible for ensuring that the 18 week target is met. The Department is also currently providing intensive support to the most challenged local health communities to deliver the 18 weeks target.

Human Tissue Authority

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the formation of the new Human Tissue Authority.

Rosie Winterton: The Human Tissue Authority was established in April 2005 under the Human Tissue Act 2004 (the Act). Its role is to regulate the removal, storage, use and disposal of human bodies, organs and tissue for a number of purposes set out in Schedule 1 to the Act, such as research, transplantation, education and training.
	Further information on the authority can be found on its website at www.hta.gov.uk.

Junior Doctors: Recruitment

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many newly qualified medical students  (a) applied to junior doctor training posts and  (b) were successful in their application in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: A total of 6,465 applications were received for Modernising Medical Careers 2007 Foundation Programme (UK-wide). All 6,205 eligible applicants were offered a place on a foundation training programme.

Junior Doctors: Training

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what administrative mechanisms her Department used to plan the Medical Training Application Service.

Rosie Winterton: The Department used a project based approach using Prince methodology to set up the Medical Training Application Service web service to support Modernising Medical Careers medical training recruitment. Detailed planning was approved by the project board.

Kidney Disease

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate her Department has made of the number of people likely to receive renal replacement therapy over the next 10 years.

Rosie Winterton: Part one of the renal national service framework (NSF), which was published in 2004, sets out the Department's view of likely trends in the population requiring renal replacement therapy in the medium-term. In the NSF, we estimated that numbers of people with end stage renal failure and requiring renal replacement therapy would increase to around 45,000 over the 10 years ending 2014. The projected overall annual growth rate in the population requiring renal replacement therapy averages 4.5 per cent. to 5 per cent. per year. A higher rate of growth (6 per cent. to 8 per cent.) is expected in the number of patients needing hospital-based haemodialysis, and in the number of elderly kidney patients.

Lymphoma

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the role of patient involvement in the National Institution for Health and Clinical Excellence's appraisals of new lymphatic cancer treatments.

Caroline Flint: The public and patient involvement unit of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has well-developed strategies for ensuring that appropriate patient and carer organisations are invited to act as stakeholders or consultees in all NICE's guidance programmes, including technology appraisals. Lists of all stakeholders involved in each piece of guidance are published on NICE's website at www.nice.org.uk
	All NICE's advisory committees include individuals with experience of patient or carer advocacy.

Lymphoma

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans her Department has to continue funding for pump-primed lymphoma nurse specialist positions; and if she will increase expenditure on such positions.

Rosie Winterton: It is for local trusts in partnership with local stakeholders to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health and to commission services accordingly, this includes provision of specialist nursing posts. Where agreements have been made for alternate funding of these posts, this is a local matter.

Meat Hygiene Service: Contracts

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which companies are engaged by the Meat Hygiene Service to provide contract  (a) veterinary and  (b) meat inspection services.

Caroline Flint: The companies engaged by theMeat Hygiene Service to provide contract official veterinarians and meat hygiene inspectors are as follows:
	 Official veterinarians
	Hygiene Audit
	Carrick Veterinary Centre
	Onevet and Co.
	Grants Veterinary Services Ltd.
	Hallmark Meat Hygiene Ltd.
	Gordon Laboratory Group Ltd.
	Aker
	Aro Company Ltd.
	Sta Vets
	Eville and Jones
	Scotvet OVS Services
	Raoul Dowding Veterinary Services
	Perriferell Veterinary Services
	The Corporation of London
	Willows Veterinary Group
	VMHS Ltd.
	Merlin Veterinary Group
	Cranley John
	Harbit and Ryder
	Fenton Veterinary Centre
	Clyde Veterinary Group
	Lerwick Veterinary Practice
	S. A. Goodall
	Deveron Veterinary Surgeons
	Miller and Swann Vet. Surgeons
	McTaggart Veterinary Group
	Malcolm J Wheeler
	Armac Veterinary Group
	Southern Isles Vet. Practice
	Patrick A Boyd
	The Crofts Veterinary Centre
	Bellevue Veterinary Group
	Bodrwnsiwn Veterinary Group
	F C I—Food Consultancy and Inspection Ltd.
	E.LL. Williams
	Paws Veterinary Health Centre
	Acorn Vets Ltd.
	Jeffrey Kidner
	Mount Services Wellington LTD
	Michael Gratton
	Quarry Veterinary Group
	The Avenue Veterinary Centre
	Hook Norton
	Old Courts Veterinary Practice
	Crescent Veterinary Clinic
	G and P J Nute
	Oaksford and Birch
	Midforest Veterinary Practice
	Pearson, Thompson and Callery
	John Highet Ltd.
	Sinclair and Wight
	Paragon Veterinary Group
	County Veterinary Group
	Conanvet
	 Meat hygiene inspectors
	Hygiene Audit
	Grants Veterinary Services Ltd.
	VMHS Ltd.
	Eville and Jones
	The Corporation Of London
	F C I—Food Consultancy and Inspection Ltd.

Meat Hygiene Service: Contracts

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) contract veterinarians and  (b) contract meat inspectors are employed by the Meat Hygiene Service.

Caroline Flint: During the year 2006-07, the Meat Hygiene Service had an annual average full time equivalent of 312 contract official veterinarians, and 213 contract meat hygiene inspectors.

Meat Hygiene Service: Contracts

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what checks the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) carries out to determine the technical competence of contract veterinarians and contract meat inspectors; and what actions have been taken by the MHS in circumstances where such contractors have not met that level of technical competence.

Caroline Flint: The Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) holds contracts with a number of companies for the supply of official veterinarians (OVs) and meat hygiene inspectors. The contracts specify the qualifications and level of technical competence required by the MHS. When deployed to approved establishments, the technical competence of all contract staff is assessed and monitored; in-depth initially and periodically thereafter. Each month the technical competency of contract staff is assessed by the MHS as part of contract performance management against a range of key performance indicators. Contractors will also periodically assess the technical competence of their staff.
	In addition to the above management checks, the MHS Internal Audit Unit undertakes audits in approved establishments to assess whether MHS teams, which may include contract OVs and meat hygiene inspectors, are carrying out their duties in line with written instructions and regulatory requirements.The Internal Audit Unit also audits contractors' procedures, including the recruitment, induction, training and development, and appraisal of contract OVs and meat hygiene inspectors.
	In cases where a contract veterinarian or meat hygiene inspector is assessed as not meeting the required level of technical competence, the employing contractor is instructed to remove the individual and provide a technically competent replacement.

Medical Records: Databases

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what controls she plans to put in place to ensure that patient records entered on the electronic care record database are not misused by researchers using the secondary users service.

Caroline Flint: The primary purpose of the national health service care records service (NHS CRS) is to support the delivery of care to patients. However,the aim is that data extracted from NHS services supporting direct patient care, including the NHS care records service, choose and book and electronic transmission of prescriptions, will be made available either in aggregate form or, where detailed information is provided, in anonymised or pseudonymised form, via the so-called secondary uses service. The use of consistent pseudonym enables individual cases to be tracked.
	Identifiable information will be available only where patient consent has been formally given or where specific permissions apply. Permission is required from the Patient Information Advisory Group (PIAG), set up under the Health and Social Care Act 2001. The PIAG assesses each application to test that the use of patient information is justified, taking into account issues of confidentiality and consent.
	Access to the secondary uses service requires each user to be formally registered and to use individual smart card access, just as for other systems in the national programme for information technology. Each user is allocated a role which determines what reports, and what organisations or geography of data they may access. Key user activities, including logon and extraction of data, are recorded.
	The Secondary Uses Group set up by the Care Record Development Board to advise on the ethical use of patient data and how the potential for research, statistics and management can be realised without compromising confidentiality or security, is due to report shortly.

Medical Records: Databases

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received from GPs on plans to create an electronic care record for patients; and what assessment she has made of the implications for patient confidentiality of such a scheme.

Caroline Flint: Since the start of the national programme for information technology, the Department and NHS Connecting for Health have worked closely with individual, and groups of general practitioners (GPs), including the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Health Informatics Standing Group. At the outset, the aim was to ensure that the wealth of some 20 years experience in clinical computing, in particular clinical noting and medication management, was distilled into the output based specification (OBS) for the integrated care records service. The OBS, which was published in July 2003, set the template for the subsequent procurement of all the clinical systems. Week-long design workshops were held to clearly define complex areas of functionality, in which the input of many GPs, both individual, and as representatives from RCGP and British Medical Association committees, was key.
	Since that time, representatives of around 60 professional organisations, including 14 Royal Colleges, among them the RCGP, have participated on national advisory groups which provide a forum for debate on development and implementation of the national programme, and the sharing of specialist expertise and experience of organisations that are already benefiting from IT implementation. Of NHS Connecting for Health's eight National Clinical Leads—senior figures representing different areas of the health service—two are for general practitioners.
	NHS Connecting for Health continues to engage on a daily basis with clinicians throughout England, and as a direct result of feedback from clinicians, improvements continue to be made across the range of programmes. This involvement is impossible to quantify precisely, but equates to hundreds of staff years of input.
	With regard to patient confidentiality, while no system can be 100 per cent. secure, we believe that the procedural and technical safeguards surrounding the new electronic care, record service provide an unprecedented degree of assurance of security for national programme systems and services, and confidentiality of the personal data they will contain. With regard to specific evaluation arrangements, a ministerial taskforce was establishedin 2006 specifically to consider matters relating to confidentiality and patient consent. This taskforce reported in December 2006 and the follow up actions are being overseen by an advisory group chaired by the Deputy Chief Medical Officer. In addition, a contract for independent evaluation of the summary care record early adopter programme, now under way in the north west, has been awarded to a team at University College London. The evaluation will involve extensive fieldwork to capture the views and experiences of GPs, practice managers, nurses, other NHS clinical and management staff, and, of course, patients. The final report of the evaluation will be published in summer 2008, but emerging findings will influence the continued rollout of the summary care record.

MRSA: Conquest Hospital

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of MRSA have been detected at the Conquest hospital in East Sussex; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The data is not available as requested. The best available information is from the mandatory methicillin resistant  Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) blood stream infections surveillance that began in April 2001 and covers acute national health service trusts in England rather than individual hospitals.
	The Conquest hospital is part of the East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust and the number of reported MRSA blood stream infections for that trust for the period April 2001 to December 2006 is shown in the table.
	
		
			  East Sussex hospitals NHS trust 
			   Number of reported blood stream infections (bacteraemia) 
			 April 2001-March 2002 67 
			 April 2002-March 2003 52 
			 April 2003-March 2004 60 
			 April 2004-March 2005 42 
			 April 2005-March 2006 59 
			 April 2006-December 2006 71 
			  Source:  Health Protection Agency

Muscular Dystrophy

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what facilities and treatment are available for sufferers of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Ivan Lewis: Treatment for duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is currently aimed at controlling symptoms to maximize the quality of life. This primarily involves physiotherapy and other supportive treatments, including pharmacological interventions, physical activity, surgery and the provision of orthopaedic appliances. Appropriate respiratory support is available as the disease progresses.
	The new translational research centre for neuromuscular diseases at University College London is one of six new Medical Research Council funded research centres that will translate scientific discoveries into new drugs, therapies, diagnostic tools, and methods of prevention. This will be the first such centre in the United Kingdom for the study of disabling diseases like DMD and will facilitate the rapid transfer of research knowledge to the clinical environment.

Musculoskeletal Disorders

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who within her Department is responsible for championing the implementation of the musculoskeletal services framework.

Ivan Lewis: The Department's 18 weeks orthopaedics project team, led by Philippa Robinson 18 Weeks National Implementation Director, is working to address the particular issues in orthopaedics, and maximise the benefits of moving care closer to home. Following the publication of the Musculoskeletal Services Framework in July 2006, the 18 week orthopaedic project is working closely with the NHS to support the implementation of the good practice set out in the musculoskeletal services framework.

NHS Bodies and Premises: Inspections

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 23 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1198W, on NHS bodies and premises: inspections, which organisations can conduct inspections of NHS bodies and premises under her authority; and whether her Department maintains a list of all organisations which have the power to inspect NHS bodies and premises.

Andy Burnham: The Healthcare Commission, in their role as the lead inspectorate for health, co-ordinates other regulatory bodies to promote effective and proportionate inspection and regulation.
	The Department does not itself maintain a list of organisations who have the power to inspect national health service bodies and premises.
	The Healthcare Inspection Concordat was launched in June 2004 to promote better co-ordinated inspection and minimise the data collection burden on NHS trusts. 20 of the key inspecting bodies in health, including the Department as an associate signatory, are formally signed up to its principles. The Healthcare Commission has been in discussion with various regulatory bodies about their becoming signatories to the concordat.
	The list of the 20 signatories is available at:
	www.concordat.org.uk/_db/_documents/Concordat_-_version_(May_06).pdf

NHS: Finance

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 15 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1391W, on NHS: finance, which organisation collects data on the number of practices receiving component two of the payment.

Andy Burnham: Decisions on the payment of component two of the Directed Enhanced Service (DES) are made by primary care trusts (PCTs) following an assessment of whether practices have fulfilled the commitments in their practice based commissioning plans. It is for PCTs to maintain data on these DES payments.

NHS: Foreigners

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance is issued to local NHS bodies on claiming money from foreign nationals who use NHS services.

Rosie Winterton: Anyone who is not ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom is subject to the provisions of the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989, as amended. These require NHS bodies providing hospital services to establish whether a patient is ordinarily residentor, if not, exempt from charges under one of the exemption categories set out in the regulations. Anyone who is not exempt should be charged for any hospital treatment provided.
	The charging regulations were amended in April 2004. At the same time the Department issued comprehensive revised and updated guidance to NHS trusts on implementation of the amended regulations.

NHS: Greater London

Derek Conway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding was provided, net of Department of Health penalties and top-slicing clawback  (a) in total and  (b) by head of population to each NHS care trust in London in each of the last five years.

Andy Burnham: Table 1 shows the final revenue resource limits (RRL) for primary care trusts (PCTs) covered by London strategic health authority (SHA) for the years 2003-04 to 2005-06. For 2006-07, the provisional outturn figure has been used. The RRLs quoted take account of any adjustments made to the initial allocations to PCTs, including topslice and clawback, throughout the year.
	Table 2 shows the 2003-04 to 2005-06 allocations per unweighted head for PCTs covered by London SHA. Table 3 shows the 2006-07 to 2007-08 revenue allocations per unweighted head for PCTs covered by London SHA. Actual allocations to PCTs are, however, informed by a weighted-capitation formula and pace of change policy.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			  £000 
			   Revenue Resource Limit  Provisional Plan data Forecast Revenue Resource Limit 
			  Primary Care Trust  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Barking and Dagenham 162,183 200,142 219,267 231,066 271,438 
			 Barnet 344,550 398,406 423,457 414,624 437,378 
			 Bexley Care Trust 197,939 229,824 236,325 249,460 267,166 
			 Brent Teaching 320,653 375,069 380,427 402,520 425,557 
			 Bromley 306,466 341,408 370,576 369,444 387,743 
			 Camden 131,260 361,058 303,167 371,387 370,239 
			 City and Hackney Teaching 276,799 333,748 367,398 369,115 401,608 
			 Croydon 324,472 378,024 402,884 415,217 451,697 
			 Ealing 334,341 406,485 440,645 440,512 460,810 
			 Enfield 271,733 306,478 329,195 342,548 363,764 
			 Greenwich Teaching 278,652 306,262 327,241 342,518 368,931 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 201,593 232,170 245,150 271,912 269,042 
			 Haringey Teaching 270,224 316,190 339,105 344,664 367,448 
			 Harrow 194,385 225,865 233,872 244,626 255,365 
			 Havering 241,083 274,718 301,106 313,845 319,370 
			 Hillingdon 229,600 267,562 284,584 251,222 310,790 
			 Hounslow 241,039 286,088 272,129 286,689 309,262 
			 Islington 248,684 312,179 332,501 340,936 345,180 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 233,571 270,019 282,628 281,189 296,754 
			 Kingston 153,864 184,480 194,951 182,959 208,411 
			 Lambeth 399,056 466,357 500,422 480,365 524,296 
			 Lewisham 299,691 350,836 371,791 398,974 401,438 
			 Newham 301,286 353,753 392,188 415,287 436,144 
			 Redbridge 213,698 250,152 273,607 288,732 317,605 
			 Richmond and Twickenham 173,343 212,777 225,432 216,357 226,249 
			 Southwark 309,150 364,928 402,296 396,937 429,545 
			 Sutton and Merton 378,656 418,299 446,703 443,661 481,466 
			 Tower Hamlets 257,435 315,451 268,13l 352,015 372,537 
			 Waltham Forest 247,358 280,129 301,099 307,015 337,446 
			 Wandsworth 320,641 356,382 363,193 398,889 424,759 
			 Westminster 303,647 344,902 363,958 357,925 385,728 
			 Total 8,336,602 9,722,141 10,385,428 10,522,633 11,225,166 
			  Source: Audited London PCT summarisation forms Department of Health financial monitoring returns Financial plans for 2007-08 as subject to final validation and sign off with the national health service 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2 
			  £ 
			   allocation per unweighted head 
			  Organisation  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Barking and Dagenham 936 1,045 1,270 
			 Barnet 940 1,017 1,197 
			 Bexley Care Trust 878 957 1,141 
			 Brent Teaching 1,048 1,162 1,381 
			 Bromley 881 955 1,132 
			 Camden 1,217 1,317 1,522 
			 City and Hackney Teaching 1,188 1,310 1,536 
			 Croydon 890 973 1,172 
			 Ealing 1,013 1,108 1,297 
			 Enfield 922 1,008 1,217 
			 Greenwich Teaching 1,031 1,124 1,349 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,114 1,220 1,403 
			 Haringey Teaching 1,035 1,139 1,357 
			 Harrow 910 993 1,198 
			 Havering 913 998 1,176 
			 Hillingdon 923 1,000 1,177 
			 Hounslow 992 1,085 1,264 
			 Islington 1,375 1,499 1,697 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1,083 1,148 1,275 
			 Kingston 873 943 1,119 
			 Lambeth 1,156 1,275 1,545 
			 Lewisham 1,137 1,254 1,484 
			 Newham 1,057 1,167 1,441 
			 Redbridge 926 1,008 1,192 
			 Richmond and Twickenham 897 966 1,118 
			 Southwark 1,182 1,303 1,558 
			 Sutton and Merton 901 980 1,166 
			 Tower Hamlets 1,156 1,294 1,565 
			 Waltham Forest 998 1,096 1,308 
			 Wandsworth 1,028 1,125 1,328 
			 Westminster 1,189 1,255 1,421 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3 
			  £ 
			   allocation per unweighted head 
			  Organisation  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Barking and Dagenham 1,435 1,581 
			 Barnet 1,282 1,374 
			 Bexley Care Trust 1,233 1,339 
			 Brent Teaching 1,502 1,632 
			 Bromley 1,215 1,306 
			 Camden 1,621 1,727 
			 City and Hackney Teaching 1,671 1,818 
			 Croydon 1,262 1,359 
			 Ealing 1,402 1,516 
			 Enfield 1,317 1,432 
			 Greenwich Teaching 1,452 1,558 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,514 1,626 
			 Haringey Teaching 1,473 1,595 
			 Harrow 1,293 1,396 
			 Havering 1,273 1,384 
			 Hillingdon 1,264 1,358 
			 Hounslow 1,366 1,477 
			 Islington 1,824 1,956 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1,338 1,407 
			 Kingston 1,197 1,280 
			 Lambeth 1.676 1,812 
			 Lewisham 1,611 1,743 
			 Newham 1,573 1,714 
			 Redbridge 1,282 1,384 
			 Richmond and Twickenham 1,193 1,273 
			 Southwark 1,689 1,825 
			 Sutton and Merton 1,254 1,347 
			 Tower Hamlets 1,695 1,843 
			 Waltham Forest 1,415 1,531 
			 Wandsworth 1,429 1,538 
			 Westminster 1,488 1,564

NHS: Private Sector

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what payments  (a) her Department and  (b) the NHS made to BUPA in each year since 1997.

Andy Burnham: The Department, as part of government accounting rules only retain financial information for seven years. We are currently in financial year 2007-08 so our records only go back 2001-02. The following available information covers that period, the financial years 2001-02, 2003-04 and 2004-05 contain no transactions.
	Payments in financial year 2002-03: £74,812.25
	Payments for financial year 2005-06: £12,863,284.81
	The background information for these two payments
	GSup 2 was a procurement for a period of less than one year to provide additional capacity in various strategic health authority regions which was fully centrally funded. BUPA were one of three providers of the GSup 2 services. The services provided were almost entirely in orthopaedics.
	Payment for financial year 2005-06: £299.01
	This payment covers insurance for the play schemes that year.
	Payments for financial year 2006-07: £832,633.16
	These invoices are part of the GSup2 and were submitted across the financial year. The costs would have accrued from 2005-06.
	The information requested in respect of the national health service is not held by the Department.

Pregnancy Book

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2007,  Official Report, column 2046W, on the Pregnancy Book, if she will make available the initial report on screening for kernicterus.

Ivan Lewis: A copy of the report, prepared for the United Kingdom National Screening Committee, entitled 'Screening for Hyperbilirubinemia' has been placed in the Library.

Smoking

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many full-time equivalent staff are employed as  (a) regional tobacco control managers and  (b) their associated support staff;
	(2)  what total budget has been allocated to fund regional tobacco control managers in 2007-08.

Caroline Flint: Arrangements for regional tobacco control vary around the country. Government Offices of the Regions (GORS) employ some regional tobacco policy managers (RTPMs) for the Regions GORs and others by primary care trusts. Finance for RTPMs is from a range of sources, including the Department.
	The North East region has one full-time equivalent (FTE) RTPM and one FTE support staff and a six month commissioned post of one 0.2 FTE communications officer.
	The North West has three FTE posts, including one RTPM.
	The East Midlands RPTM post is currently vacant and a recruitment exercise is taking place at the moment.
	The South East has FTE RPTM post and 0.2 FTE administrative support.
	The East of England currently has no FTE RTPM or associated support staff. Tobacco control work is undertaken as by 0.5 of FTE for a member of the health programmes team.
	The South West has one FTE RTPM and one temporary administrative support varying between0.4 FTE to one FTE depending on local priorities.
	London region has one FTE RTPM and one FTE support.
	The West Midlands has a seconded RTPM at0.8 FTE, additional work is sourced by short-term contracts for specific project work.
	Yorkshire and Humberside has one FTE RTPM and a 0.2 FTE administrative support.
	In 2007-08, £2 million has been allocated to the regional public health groups' budgets to support work on tobacco control.

Smoking: Prisons

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impacton delivery of nicotine replacement therapy within prison establishments of  (a) prison staff levels,  (b) competing workload demands and  (c) prisoner transfers between establishments across the Prison Estate; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Since April 2006, commissioning responsibility for prison health services has been fully devolved to primary care trusts (PCT).
	For each of the financial years 2003-06, the Department provided an additional £500,000 funding to bring smoking cessation services in prisons in England, including nicotine replacement therapy, in line with National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines. Resources are now contained within baseline PCT funding and provision is determined by local health needs assessment, in partnership with the prison.

Social Services

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to establish a new consensus for a new, fair and sustainable settlement in social care as stated by the Minister for care services; who the key partners will be in such a consensus;and what definition she uses of  (a) fair and  (b) sustainable.

Ivan Lewis: The Government have provided significant investment in local services, including in the area of social care, since taking office. Total government grant has increased by 39 per cent, in real terms since 1997 and this has delivered real improvements.
	We are committed to ensuring that local authorities can continue to deliver effective local services. We are working with local government representatives to identify future pressures on local authorities, and the ways in which these can best be managed, as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) 2007.
	As is normal in the run up to any Government Spending Review, the Secretary of State and her Ministers hold regular internal meetings to plan the new settlement.
	The Government believe it is important that the 2007 CSR is informed by wide public debate on the long-term challenges facing the United Kingdom. Across Government, the public are being engaged on a wide range of issues related to the CSR. In social care, the consultation "Your Health, Your Care, Your Say" provided an opportunity to hear the views of the public of the priorities for their local health and social care services.

South East Coastal Strategic Health Association: Manpower

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been employed by South East Coastal Strategic Health Association and its successor organisations in each of the last five years.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is listed in the table.
	
		
			  NHS hospital and community health services: NHS staff in the South East Coast Strategic Health Authority (SHA) as at 30 September each specified year 
			  H eadcount 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 South East Coast SHA 571 396 235 243 344 
			 Kent and Medway SHA 238 92 96 102 (1)— 
			 Surrey and Sussex SHA 333 304 139 141 (1)— 
			 (1) Not applicable.   Note: The South East Coast Strategic Health Authority was created on1 July 2006 from the merger of Surrey and Sussex SHA and Kent and Medway SHA. Figures prior to 2006 are an aggregate of the two predecessor organisations.  Sources: 1. The Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census. 2. The Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental Workforce Census.

Strokes: Research

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State forHealth what  (a) financial and  (b) other support her Department provides to charities involved in stroke research; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Section 64 General Scheme of Grants to voluntary organisations is the Department's main funding source to voluntary organisations; however, the Department cannot award grants if the grant will support research as the Department supports research through the National Institute for Health Research.
	Notwithstanding this fact, in recent years, the Department has supported a series of non-research stroke projects proposed by the Stroke Association. In the 2007-08 round the Department also approved stroke related projects by the Afiya Trust and Connect—the Communication Disability Network.
	
		
			  Organisation  Project  Funding period  Amount  (£) 
			 Connect—the Communication Disability Network Enabling new connections 2007-08 to 2009-10 148,210 
			 The Afiya Trust Stroke Awareness for Black & Minority Ethnic Communities 2007-08 to 2009-10 138,300 
			 The Stroke Association Stroke is a Medical Emergency: Know the Warning Signs 2006-07 to 2008-09 88,000 
			 The Stroke Association Blood Pressure Awareness: African Caribbean Communities 2006-07 to 2008-09 117,500 
			 The Stroke Association Blood Pressure Awareness: Active Intervention 2006-07 to 2008-09 151,500 
			 The Stroke Association Stroke Prevention: South Asian Communities (1)2004-05 to 2006-07 70,500 
			 (1 )Completed 
		
	
	The Department is working closely with voluntary organisations, including those listed in the previous table and others, in the development of the National Stroke Strategy.
	The Department has also taken separate steps to support stroke research. The Department's National Institute for Health Research is investing £20 million over five years in the United Kingdom Stroke Research Network set up in 2005. The Network is supporting clinical trials and other well designed studies conducted by public and private sector funders.
	More broadly, over the last ten years, the main part of the Department's total expenditure on health research has been devolved to and managed by national health service organisations. Details of individual NHS supported research projects are available on the national research register at www.dh.gov.uk/research.

Surgery

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State forHealth what proportion of admitted pathways in  (a) gastroenterology,  (b) cardiology and  (c) neurosurgery (i) at the university hospital of North Staffordshire and (ii) in England were completed.

Andy Burnham: The requested data is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Referral to treatment (RTT) times for university hospital of North Staffordshire NHS trust and England, March 2007 
			   Admitted pathways—percentage completed within 18 weeks 
			  Treatment function  University hospital  of North Staffordshire NHS trust  England (commissioner based) 
			 Neurosurgery 18 39 
			 Gastroenterology 22 76 
			 Cardiology 39 61

Tomography: Finance

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects the £20 million extra capital expenditure on new position emission tomographyand computed tomography facilities announced on12 October 2005 to come on stream in clinical practice.

Rosie Winterton: The Department does not routinely collect information on the number, location and operational status of positron emission tomography (PET) scanners or computed tomography (CT) scanners.
	The £20 million additional capital expenditure is being made available to strategic health authorities (SHAs) in the financial years 2006-08, through the national health service bundle. It will be for SHAs to decide how best to use this money to meet the needs of its population for PET-CT services.

Tuberculosis: Vaccination

Derek Conway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS care trusts in London have provided the BCG vaccination to all children following the July 2005 issue of the Chief Medical Officer's Directive on national BCG vaccinations; and what the incidence of tuberculosis was in each trust area in the latest period for which figures are available.

Caroline Flint: On 6 July 2005 the Chief Medical Officer announced that the Bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG) Vaccination programme would change to a targeted risk based programme. Data on the number of children offered BCG by primary care trust is not held centrally, although the number of children receiving BCG vaccine is collected by the Information Centre and published in the booklet NHS Immunisation Statistics, England 2005-06, a copy of which is available in the Library.
	The incidence rate of tuberculosis (TB) is collected by the Health Protection Agency (HPA). The incidence rate for all London primary care trust's in 2005 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Primary care trust name  Mean rate (per 100,000)* 
			 Barking and Dagenham PCT 29 
			 Barnet PCT 32 
			 Bexley Care Trust 12 
			 Brent Teaching PCT 91 
			 Bromley PCT 10 
			 Camden PCT 44 
			 City and Hackney Teaching PCT 69 
			 Croydon PCT 34 
			 Ealing PCT 75 
			 Enfield PCT 35 
			 Greenwich Teaching PCT 36 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 42 
			 Haringey Teaching PCT 61 
			 Harrow PCT 55 
			 Havering PCT 8 
			 Hillingdon PCT 50 
			 Hounslow PCT 60 
			 Islington PCT 49 
			 Kensington and Chelsea PCT 26 
			 Kingston PCT 15 
			 Lambeth PCT 53 
			 Lewisham PCT 34 
			 Newham PCT 100 
			 Redbridge PCT 46 
			 Richmond and Twickenham PCT 8 
			 Southwark PCT 49 
			 Sutton and Merton PCT 22 
			 Tower Hamlets PCT 63 
			 Waltham Forest PCT 47 
			 Wandsworth PCT 38 
			 Westminster PCT 39 
			  Source: Enhanced Tuberculosis Surveillance, Office for National Statistics mid-year population estimates.

Vaccination

Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the take-up was of  (a) measles, mumps and rubella,  (b) pneumococcal and  (c) menc vaccines in each of the last five years; and what assessment she has made of the impact of the take-up rate of each on the incidence of preventable disease and death.

Caroline Flint: Information about the uptake of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) and meningitis C vaccines, along with and other childhood immunisations, is published annually in the Department's statistical bulletins. The latest bulletin, NHS Immunisation Statistics, England: 2005-06, has been placed in the Library and on the Department's website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/health-and-lifestyles/immunisation/immunisation-statistics-england-2005-2006.
	Information on uptake of pneumococcal vaccine in children is not yet available.
	The impact of vaccination on diseases has been immense. Before vaccination was introduced, there used to be over 500,000 cases of measles in some years. In recent years, the number of cases has been under one thousand. I would like to see the rise in MMR uptake to continue so that the number of cases of this serious but preventable disease decline significantly.
	The impact of the pneumococcal vaccination programme is already being seen through disease surveillance carried out on our behalf by the Health Protection Agency. The number of cases of serious pneumococcal infection caused by the strains of bacteria that the vaccine protects against is already declining in young children.
	The Meningitis C vaccination programme has been a great success, with the rates of the disease falling by over 97 per cent. in all age groups vaccinated.

Voluntary Organisations: Finance

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the reasons are for the changes in funding for  (a) the Opportunities for Volunteering fund and  (b) section 64 grants.

Ivan Lewis: Funding through the Opportunities for Volunteering Scheme (OFV) and the Section 64 General Scheme of Grants has not changed. We are about to start a strategic funding and investment review into Department's funding of the Third Sector. This will cover the Department's primary third sector funding streams—S64 and OFV—as well as contracts and grants across the range of departmental programmes.
	The aim is to develop a framework for more coherent investment in the sector by the Department that transforms current piecemeal arrangements into a strategic portfolio of investments to support the Department in meeting its objectives more effectively. This will include examination of the potential for reforming the OFV scheme following its 25 years of operation.

West Sussex Primary Care Trust: Finance

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget is for West Sussex Primary Care Trust in the current year; and what its anticipated budget is in each of the next two years.

Caroline Flint: West Sussex Teaching Primary Care Trust (PCT) received revenue allocations of £952.5 million in 2006-07 and £1,034.0 million in 2007-08. These represent a cash increase of £155.4 million or 17.7 per cent. over the two years, compared to a national average of 19.5 per cent. West Sussex Teaching PCT will be 2.4 per cent. over target by 2007-08.
	Revenue allocations post 2007-08 have not yet been determined.

Asylum: Expenditure

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent in the last 12 months on  (a) specialist support systems,  (b) appropriate (section 20) accommodation and support and  (c) culturally sensitive counselling services for (i) asylum-seeking children and (ii) asylum-seeking children who have had experiences of torture, political violence or been victims of trafficking and other forms of persecution.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 4 June 200 7
	 The Home Office does not collate expenditure for the different items listed and does not keep separate expenditure data for asylum-seeking children and asylum-seeking children who have had experiences of torture, political violence or who have been victims of trafficking and other forms of persecution.
	Dependent children within asylum seeking families are provided with support in the form of accommodation and the payment of cash for subsistence.
	Responsibility for providing support to Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) rests with local authorities which provide an appropriate range of services according to their assessment of the needs of individual children. The Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) reimburse local authorities for most of these costs through the UASC expenditure grant. In the financial year 2005-06, the most recent year for which audited accounts are available, the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) paid local authorities £151 million in UASC grants.

Detainees: Correspondence

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of Statefor the Home Department in what circumstances correspondence between hon. and right hon. Members and detainees is opened by staff in immigration removal centres before it reaches recipients; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Correspondence between hon. and right hon. Members and detainees is not opened by staff in Immigration Removal Centres.
	A situation may arise where the centre manager has reasonable cause to believe that the contents of an envelope may endanger the security of the centre or the safety of others. Under these circumstances the envelope may be opened in front of the detainee.

Crown Court Cells

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice whether all inmates detained in Crown Court cells have been subject to assessment for self-harm as laid down in Prison Service Order 2700; who has been responsible for such assessments; what level of training they had received; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Prisoners previously held in prison accommodation will have been assessed in line with PSO 2700.
	All prisoners, whether or not previously held in custody, have a "Prisoner Escort Record" (PER) form, on which issues giving rise to concern are noted. Contractor staff and the on-site constables are also able to open a Suicide/Self Harm Warning form oran ACCT form and take management action as appropriate. At each court a clinic is held each night by a qualified health care professional to identify and help address any health issues arising.

Custodial Treatment: Sexual Offences

David Ruffley: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what proportion of convictions for  (a) rape and  (b) other sexual offences in (i) Suffolk, (ii) Bedfordshire, (iii) Cambridgeshire, (iv) Essex, (v) Hertfordshire, (vi) Norfolk and (vii) England resulted in custodial sentences in each year since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on the percentage of defendants convicted at all courts for offences relating to rape of males and females, and sexual offences not including rape of males and females, who were given immediate custody in certain police force areas and England for the years 1997 to 2005 can be viewed in the following table.
	Court proceedings data for 2006 will be available in the autumn of 2007.
	
		
			  Percentage of defendants convicted at all courts for offences relating to rape of males and females who were given immediate custody in certain police force areas and England for the years 1997 to 2005( 1,2,3,4) 
			  Percentage rape 
			   Bedfordshire  Cambridgeshire  Essex  Hertfordshire  Norfolk  Suffolk  England 
			 1997 100 100 95 100 100 100 97 
			 1998 100 100 93 88 100 100 97 
			 1999 80 100 100 90 100 100 96 
			 2000 100 100 67 100 100 100 95 
			 2001 100 100 100 88 100 100 96 
			 2002 100 100 71 100 100 100 97 
			 2003 100 100 100 100 100 100 97 
			 2004 100 100 100 85 100 100 96 
			 2005 100 91 92 100 91 89 94 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2 )Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Includes data from the Sexual Offences Act 2003, which came into force on 1 May 2003. (4) Care should be taken when using me figures for individual police force areas as these data are based on less than 100 cases.  Source: RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform—Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage of defendants convicted at all courts for sexual offences excluding rape of males and females who were given immediate custody in certain police force areas and England for the years 1997 to 2005( 1,2,3,4) 
			  Percentage other sexual offences 
			   Bedfordshire  Cambridgeshire  Essex  Hertfordshire  Norfolk  Suffolk  England 
			 1997 36 50 57 47 45 57 48 
			 1998 60 34 40 53 60 60 46 
			 1999 56 37 59 36 61 31 48 
			 2000 64 48 56 53 50 46 50 
			 2001 61 40 54 72 56 50 48 
			 2002 45 51 36 63 55 38 47 
			 2003 69 53 49 55 52 52 44 
			 2004 69 52 56 47 52 52 47 
			 2005 58 49 48 45 56 45 45 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence/care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Includes data from the Sexual Offences Act 2003, which came into force on 1 May 2003. (4) Care should be taken when using the figures for individual police force areas as these data are based on less than 100 cases.  Source: RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform—Ministry of Justice

Data Protection: Prosecutions

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many requests for prosecutions against data controllers for failure to notify the Information Commissioner of the processing of personal data under the Data Protection Act 1998 have been made to  (a) the Information Commissioner and  (b) the Director of Public Prosecutions since 30 June 2005.

Vera Baird: Neither the Information Commissioner's Office or the Crown Prosecution Service, who dealwith prosecutions on behalf of the Director of Public Prosecutions, keep details of requests made for prosecutions against data controllers for non-notification offences under the Data Protection Act 1998.

Departments: Marketing

Mark Hoban: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 208W, on Departments: marketing,if she will provide a breakdown of the figure of£1.5 million by main budget heading; and what the evidential basis was for the estimate.

Vera Baird: The £1.5 million estimate provided in previous answers is made up of the following budget headings:
	
		
			  Budget heading  Approximate costs (£ million) 
			 Policy (consultancy; policy documents) 0.07 
			 IT (capital: hardware; accessibility; branding: templates; desktop) 0.70 
			 Project Management 0.08 
			 Commercial (consultancy support; resolution and accountancy issues) 0.16 
			 Estates (new offices; signage) 0.28 
			 Communications (logo; presentation stands; branding; internet/intranet development) 0.13 
			 Human Resources (rebranding; staff) 0.04 
			 Private Offices (IT improvements) 0.04 
			 Total 1.50 
		
	
	All business cases for MoJ transitional expenditure are presented to the Ministry of Justice Steering Group.

Departments: Sign Language

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what assessment she has made of the merits of providing British Sign Language (BSL) videos on her departmental website for the benefit of those whose first language is BSL.

Harriet Harman: The Ministry of Justice has not assessed the merits of using British sign language videos on either its corporate website, www.justice.gov.uk, or on its corporate intranet. However, the website has been fully tested for usability and accessibility and it conforms to the web accessibility initiative AAA standards. The website has been user-tested by disabled employees to check that the site's functionality and content can be effectively accessed via assistive technologies such as screen readers.
	The Ministry of Justice has not received any requests to provide information in BSL via its corporate website. If however a request were received then, inline with our duties under DDA, we would consider the cost; the practicability and the extent to which presenting information via BSL video would overcome the barrier or disadvantage experienced by the disabled person.

Driving Offences: Convictions

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many  (a) women,  (b) men,  (c) women under 30 years and  (d) men under 30 years were found guilty of causing death by careless driving under influence of drink or drugs in each of the last10 years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The number of females and males, found guilty at all courts for the offence of causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs, for age group 10 to 30, and all ages in England and Wales, 1996 to 2005 which can be viewed in the following table.
	Court proceedings data for 2006 will be available in the autumn of 2007.
	
		
			  Females and males, found guilty at all courts for the offence of causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs, for age group 10 to 30, and all ages in England and Wales, 1996 to 2005( 1, 2, 3) 
			  Number 
			   Female  Male 
			   10 to 30  All ages  10 to 30  All ages 
			 1996 2 5 32 51 
			 1997 3 5 33 57 
			 1998 4 5 35 58 
			 1999 2 5 22 41 
			 2000 2 2 34 51 
			 2001 2 2 28 49 
			 2002 3 9 39 57 
			 2003 2 4 29 56 
			 2004 3 4 36 58 
			 2005 3 5 35 61 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Includes the following statute: Road Traffic Act 1988 section 3A as added by the Road Traffic Act 1991 section 3 and amended by CJA 1993, section 67.  Source: RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform—Ministry of Justice.

Driving Under Influence

Owen Paterson: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many drivers were breathalysed in each year between 1997 and 2006; how many tests were positive; and how many were subsequently confirmed as positive by blood testing.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The available information is givenin the table for 1997 to 2004. Data for 2005 will be available later in the year. 2006 data will be availablein 2008.
	Information is not collected centrally on the number of positive tests subsequently confirmed by blood testing.
	
		
			  Screening breath tests by outcome, England end Wales 
			  Thousand 
			  Outcome  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Total number of tests (1)800.3 815.5 764.6 714.8 623.9 570.2 534.3 577.6 
			 Number positive or refused 103.5 (2)102.3 (2)94.1 (2)94.6 (2)99.5 (2)103.5 (2)106.3 (2)103.0 
			 (1) Following the introduction of new breath testing equipment in Greater Manchester in 1998, it became apparent that the total number of tests had been over-estimated in 1997 and adjustments were made. (2) As from 1998 onwards, following a comparison between the number of positive breath tests reported by each police force annually and the number of court proceedings for drink/driving-related offences, it became clear that there was under-reporting in a number of forces. As a result, in some cases, court proceedings figures have been substituted for the positive breath test figures.  Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Breath Tests Statistical Collection, held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform.

Electoral Register

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how many and what percentage of people whose names are entered on UK electoral registers are  (a) UK citizens,  (b) citizens of the Irish Republic,  (c) Commonwealth citizens and  (d) European Union citizens.

Bridget Prentice: This information is not collected centrally. The Office of National Statistics is responsible for producing electoral registration figures, but they are not required to collect data on the nationality of people registered to vote.

Haverigg Prison: Manpower

Jamie Reed: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice 
	(1)  how many new staff she expects to be employed at HMP Haverigg as a result of the expansion programme;
	(2)  what the staff levels are at HMP Haverigg.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It is expected that an additional42.5 staff will be employed at Haverigg as a result of the expansion programme.
	The current level of staffing at Haverigg is 336, including casual staff employed to supervise the new build work.

Probation: Expenditure

Norman Lamb: To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice how much was spent on probation services in each year since 1997; what expenditure is expected for the forthcoming financial year; and how much of this spending  (a) was and  (b) will be dedicated to (i) mental health services, (ii) substance abuse rehabilitation services and (iii) vocational education in each of these years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Expenditure on probation services is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Resource  Capital 
			 2007-08 976 15 
			 2006-07 959 11 
			 2005-06 872 32 
			 2004-05 793 29 
			 2003-04 742 38 
			 2002-03 641 40 
			 2001-02 595 34 
			 2000-01 539 16 
			 1999-2000 491 23 
			 1998-99 466 22 
			 1997-98 464 17 
			 1996-97 467 22 
		
	
	The financial data includes probation boards, National Probation Directorate and latterly National Offender Management Service HQ.
	Comparisons over a long period of time are difficult due to machinery of government changes and accounting changes.
	After adjusting for organisational changes, accounting changes and inflation, the real terms increase in the Resource budget from 1996-97 to 2006-07 is about70 per cent.
	Expenditure is not recorded in the categories requested under (i), (ii) and (iii).
	 Notes:
	All figures exclude electronic monitoring.
	Financial data for 2006-07 is subject to audit and for 2007-08 is planned expenditure.

Al Yamamah Project

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which aspects of the financial arrangements relating to the Al Yamamah defence contract fell to be approved by his Department since May 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The Treasury's involvement was concerned with the accounting and budgeting arrangements for the management fee received by the Ministry of Defence from the Saudi Arabian Government. The fee covers the costs of the UK Government's involvement in the Al Yamamah programme. The Treasury reviews such arrangements to ensure that they are in accordance with the principles of Government Accounting.

Children: Death

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many deaths there were following recorded injuries of children aged  (a) 0 to four,  (b) five to eight,  (c) nine to 12 and  (d) 13 to 16 years which took place (i) in the home, (ii) at school, (iii) in hospital, (iv) on a sports ground or other place where sporting activities occur, (v) in public parks and (vi) in other places in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many deaths there were following recorded injuries of children aged  (a) 0 to four,  (b) five to eight,  (c) nine to 12 and  (d) 13 to 16 years in each year since 1997;
	(3)  how many deaths there were of children aged  (a) zero to four,  (b) five to eight,  (c) nine to 12 and  (d) 13 to 16 years in each year since 1997.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 25 June 2007:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your four recent questions about deaths of children listed here:
	How many deaths there have been following recorded injuries of children aged (a) 0 to four, (b) five to eight, (c) nine to 12 and (d) 13 to 16 years which have taken place (i) in the home, (ii) at school, (iii) in hospital, (iv) on a sports ground or other place where sporting activities occur, (v) in public parks and (vi) in other places in each year since 1997; (144259)
	how many deaths there have been following recorded injuries of children aged (a) 0 to four, (b) five to eight, (c) nine to 12 and (d) 13 to 16 years in each year since 1997; (144262)
	how many fatalities there were of children aged (a) zero to four, (b) five to eight, (c) nine to 12 and (d) 13 to 16 years in each year since 1997; (144278)
	how many fatalities there were of children aged (a) zero to four, (b) five to eight, (c) nine to 12 and (d) 13 to 16 years where the cause of death occurred in (i) the home, (ii) at school, (iii) in hospital, (iv) on a sports ground or similar space where sporting activities occur, (v) public parks and (vi) other places in each year since 1997. (144277)
	Not all of the information you requested exists. The Office for National Statistics does not collect information on recorded injuries but does collect data on all registered deaths, including those with an underlying cause of injury, categorised by coroner's verdict—accident, intentional self-harm, homicide, and injury of undetermined intent. Information on place of occurrence of death is collected at registration for all deaths.
	However, information on place of occurrence of the cause of death (i.e. where the person was when they were injured or became ill) is only collected on coroner's certificates of cause of death after inquest for deaths from injury and poisoning with a verdict of accident (including misadventure). The coroner is asked to select one often pre-specified categories of 'place where the accident occurred'.
	The place of accident is then coded by ONS according to the revision of the International Classification of Diseases in use at the time (Ninth Revision 'ICD-9' from 1979 to 2000, and Tenth Revision 'ICD-10' since 2001). 'Home' and 'place of sport or recreation', are specified categories in both revisions, but school and hospital are not. They are subsumed in much larger categories: both are in 'public building' in ICD-10, but hospital was classified in 'resident institution' in ICD-9. Place of occurrence of injury is not coded in the same way for deaths from transport accidents, but the vast majority of these are motor vehicle accidents, and for most the place of accident would be street or highway. We have shown transport accidents separately in attached tables.
	The tables below show the number of deaths in children by age group for all deaths, and deaths with a coroner's verdict of accident by place of occurrence of accident, between 1997 and 2005 in England and Wales.
	
		
			  Table 1:  N umber of deaths in children by age group from all causes and deaths with a coroner's verdict of accident( 1)  England and Wales, 1997-2005( 2) 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			  All deaths  
			 0 to four(3) 4,509 4,347 4,326 3,958 3,828 3,678 3,892 3,734 3,760 
			 Five to eight 356 344 316 301 313 285 274 251 230 
			 Nine to 12 381 344 344 342 284 308 306 273 274 
			 13 to 16 625 587 537 502 570 562 506 516 485 
			   
			  Accidental deaths  
			 0 to four(4) 138 147 141 118 117 104 115 97 88 
			 Five to eight 69 42 60 50 47 46 40 25 32 
			 Nine to 12 100 90 84 83 56 61 49 59 46 
			 13 to 16 198 163 149 160 177 142 140 150 148 
			 (1) Selected using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E800-E928 for the years 1997 to 2000 and Tenth Revision (LCD-10) codes V01-X59, Y40-Y84from 2001 onwards. (2) Figures are for occurrences of death in each calendar year. (3) Includes neonatal deaths (deaths occurring within the first 28 days of life). (4) Excludes neonatal deaths (deaths occurring within the first 28 days of life) as, since 1986, a single underlying cause of death is not know for these deaths. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2a:  N umber of deaths in children by age group with a coroner's verdict of accident( 1)  by place of occurrence of injury, England and Wales, 1997-2000( 2) 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000 
			  At home 
			 0 to four(3) 70 81 85 68 
			 Five to eight 10 7 10 12 
			 Nine to 12 13 16 11 13 
			 13 to 16 26 24 21 23 
			  
			  Place for recreation and sport( 4) 
			 0 to four(3) 0 0 1 2 
			 Five to eight 5 1 3 0 
			 Nine to 12 3 4 5 1 
			 13 to 16 5 2 3 4 
			  
			  Public building( 5) 
			 0 to four(3) 1 1 0 0 
			 Five to eight 4 2 0 1 
			 Nine to 12 0 1 1 0 
			 13 to 16 1 2 2 1 
			  
			  Other specified and unspecified place( 6) 
			 0 to four(3) 22 21 27 17 
			 Five to eight 9 6 7 9 
			 Nine to 12 13 13 10 14 
			 13 to 16 25 26 14 21 
			  
			  Transport accidents( 7) 
			 0 to four(3) 45 44 28 31 
			 Five to eight 41 26 40 28 
			 Nine to 12 71 56 57 55 
			 13 to 16 141 109 109 111 
			 (1) Selected using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E850-E928. (2) Figures are for occurrences of death in each calendar year. (3) Excludes neonatal deaths (deaths occurring within the first 28 days of life) as, since 1986, a single underlying cause of death is not know for these deaths. (4) Selected using 4(th) digit of ICD-9 code. 0. (5) Selected using 4(th) digit of ICD-9 code. 4 and includes public park and playground, including school playground. (6) Selected using 4(th) digit of ICD-9 code .6. (7) Selected using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E880-E848. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2b:  N umber of deaths in children by age group with a coroner's verdict of accident( 1)  by place of occurrence of injury, England and Wales, 2001-05( 2) 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			  At home  
			 0 to four(3) 66 59 69 55 48 
			 Five to eight 11 15 8 6 9 
			 Nine to 12 9 13 16 9 12 
			 13 to 16 25 24 19 18 12 
			   
			  Sports and athletics area( 4)  
			 0 to four(3) 0 1 0 0 0 
			 Five to eight 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Nine to 12 1 3 0 0 0 
			 13 to 16 5 0 2 1 0 
			   
			  School, other institution and public administrative area( 5)  
			 0 to four(3) 0 1 0 1 1 
			 Five to eight 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Nine to 12 1 0 0 0 1 
			 13 to 16 2 0 2 0 1 
			   
			  Other specified and unspecified place( 6)  
			 0 to four(3) 15 15 23 19 14 
			 Five to eight 2 6 10 5 6 
			 Nine to 12 5 7 4 9 7 
			 13 to 16 24 19 20 14 33 
			   
			  Transport accidents( 7)  
			 0 to four(3) 36 28 23 22 25 
			 Five to eight 33 25 21 14 17 
			 Nine to 12 40 38 29 41 26 
			 13 to 16 121 99 97 117 102 
			 (1) Selected using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes WOO-X59, Y40-Y84. (2) Figures are for occurrences of death in each calendar year. (3) Excludes neonatal deaths (deaths occurring within the first 28 days of life) as, since 1986, a single underlying cause of death is not know for these deaths. (4) Selected using 4(th) digit of ICD-10 code . 0. (5) Selected using 4(th) digit of ICD-10 code .3 and excludes public park and playground. (6) Selected using 4(th) digit of ICD-10 code .2. (7) Selected using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes V01-V99.

Cox Review

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps have been taken to implement the five key recommendations of the 2005 Cox Review.

Margaret Hodge: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government are working closely with the Design Council to ensure that the five key recommendations of Sir George Cox's Review of creativity in business are implemented effectively. Good progress is being made in all five areas:
	Raising the awareness, understanding and performance by making widely available a Design Programme for Business—Regional Development Agencies are committed to implementing the Design Council's Designing Demand Programme and a full roll out across UK regions is expected by end 2007-08. The programme has already been rolled out in South Yorkshire, South East and West Midlands.
	Educating the next generation of business leaders, creative specialists and engineers while in higher education—The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) is appraising applications from six Higher Education Institutions to act as Centres of Excellence for the development of multidisciplinary courses. In May 2007 HEFCE awarded funding towards £5.8 million for the first centre of excellence, in London. Design-London at RCA-Imperial will create an 'innovation triangle' between design (represented by the Royal College of Art), engineering and technology (represented by Imperial College Faculty of Engineering) and the business of innovation (represented by Imperial's Tanaka Business School).
	Improving effectiveness of R and D Tax credits—Specialist units within HMRC launched in November 2006 are improving the consistency and certainty for firms claiming the R and D tax credit. Furthermore, in Budget 2007 the Government announced that it intends to increase the support available under R and D tax credits. The rate of relief for large companies will increase to 130 per cent. of qualifying R and D expenditure. In the case of the SME R and D tax credit scheme, the rate of relief will increase to 175 per cent. for companies claiming enhanced deductions against profits. The value of the payable credit available will remain broadly at its current value (24 per cent. of qualifying expenditure). The SME credit will also be extended to companies with 250-500 employees. Changes to the SME scheme are subject to State Aid clearance by the European Commission.
	Raising the profile of the UK's creative capabilities through a network of Centres of Creativity across the UK—A feasibility study by the London Development Agency (LDA) concluded that there is a strong case for an International Design-Business Exchange to act as an international market place for design led innovation, ideas and expertise. The Design Council is working with the LDA on how a prototype programme might operate.
	Maximising the power of public sector procurement by encouraging more imaginative solutions from suppliers—the Office of Government Commerce is leading on this recommendation and there has been positive activity on early procurer engagement with suppliers, simplifying pre-qualification and forthcoming guidance on finding and procuring innovative solutions.

Defence: Finance

Mark Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the virements between different sections within  (a) Request for Resources (RfR) 1: Provision of Defence Capability and  (b) RfR 2: Conflict Prevention he (i) agreed and (ii) refused for financial years 2001-02 to 2006-07.

Stephen Timms: Where HMT has approved virements within MOD RfRs they are listed in winter and spring supplementaries. These can be found at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/documents/public_spending_reporting/estimates/psr_estimates_supplementary.cfm
	Records of any virements that have been refused are not routinely retained.

Departments: Marketing

Theresa May: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what advertising and marketing campaigns have been run by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years; which external agencies were involved; and what the cost was of each campaign.

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent by his Department on advertising in the last 12 months.

John Healey: For the costs of advertising in the past five years, I refer to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) today. In addition to those costs, direct marketing spend by National Savings and Investments' was as follows:
	
		
			   £000 
			 2002-03 5,968 
			 2003-04 3,626 
			 2004-05 6,471 
			 2005-06 4,405 
			 2006-07 3,422 
		
	
	National Savings and Investments' advertising and marketing campaigns promote their products, including Premium Bonds, Index Linked Savings Certificates, the Guaranteed Equity Bond and Children's Bonus Bonds, using Chick Smith Trott and OMD UK.
	The main campaigns run by HM Revenue and Customs have been on self assessment, tax credits, the child trust fund, and the helpline for the newly self employed. The main agencies used have been MCBD, M and C Saatchi, and United London.

Inheritance Tax

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the  (a) number and  (b) proportion of detached properties in (i) England and (ii) Wales which have a value above the inheritance tax threshold.

Dawn Primarolo: The number of detached properties in England with a gross value which exceeded £285,000 in 2006 is estimated at £1.9 million, or 41 per cent. of all detached properties in England. Only 27 per cent. of properties are detached, and overall only 18 per cent. of all properties were valued at more than £285,000. Corresponding figures for Wales are not available but 19 per cent. of sales of detached properties sold for prices over £285,000 in 2006.
	In the same year only 6 per cent. of estates were liable to IHT. Budget 2007 announced that the IHT nil-rate band will increase to £350,000 in 2010-11; in addition, assets left to a surviving spouse or civil partner are completely exempt from IHT.

Pensions: Public Sector

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made to the extent to which public sector pension reform since 2005 meets the criteria of  (a) affordability,  (b) fairness relative to the private sector and  (c) fairness within the public sector; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The Government view public service pensions as a key part of the remuneration package of public servants, aimed at attracting and rewarding the skills and professionalism required to maintain a high quality public sector work force. Like other employers, the Government have to manage the increasing pension costs associated with rising longevity. Public service pension schemes have been reformed or are undergoing reform in order to make them affordable and sustainable in future. Following the Public Services Forum agreement in 2005, the reforms being introduced in the three major unfunded public service pension schemes—the NHS, teachers and the civil service schemes include increases in the normal pension age for new entrants and mechanisms that ensure that any future increases in cost will be shared fairly between employers and employees. In addition, there also will be an upper limit on the cost to the taxpayer, should costs increase.
	Similar reforms have also been agreed in other public service schemes including the local government pensions scheme.
	Expenditure on public service pension schemes as published in the latest Long Term Public Finance report (2006) is projected to be affordable and sustainable.

VAT: Registration

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1500W, on VAT: registration, how many VAT applications not processed within 21 days of receipt in March 2007 related to  (a) mobile telephones,  (b) other electrical equipment and  (c) other activities.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs do not record processing times for businesses involved specifically in mobile phones or electrical equipment.

VAT: Registration

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1500W, on VAT: registration, how many such complaints were from companies seeking VAT registration to conduct business activities relating to  (a) mobile telephones,  (b) other electrical equipment and  (c) other activities.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs do not record details of the trading activities of businesses that made complaints.

Welfare Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what backlogs there are in HM Revenue and Customs offices of unprocessed  (a) tax credit claim forms and  (b) declaration forms; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs aim to deal with 86 per cent. of new claims, renewals and changes of circumstances within five working days and 95 per cent. in 30 working days.
	The latest figures that are available show there are no backlogs of unprocessed new claims or 2006-07 annual declaration forms.

Welfare Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action is being taken as part of the Department's Transformation Programme to review the long-term operation of the tax credits system; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Tax Credits Transformation Programme, which is part of the Departmental Transformation Programme, aims to improve the delivery of tax credits by tailoring services and communications to the needs of the customers. As part of the Tax Credits Transformation Programme, HMRC have started to pilot some improvements in customer service, for example in helping customers whose circumstances change as the result of the breakdown of a relationship.

Welfare Tax Credits

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much of the total amount of tax credits paid out due to error or fraud in  (a) 2003-04,  (b) 2004-05,  (c) 2005-06 and  (d) 2006-07 he estimates will never be recovered.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer to my statement to the House on Tax credits on 11 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1281. Estimates for subsequent years are not yet available.

Welfare Tax Credits

John Spellar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes have been made to his Department's procedures to prevent people from claiming tax credit in respect of non-existent children.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC check tax credits claims and carry out enquiries to make sure that claims are genuine, that any children claimed for actually exist and the circumstances of the family genuinely qualify.
	HMRC prosecute frauds and tax credits cheats face fines, jail and a criminal record.
	HMRC are constantly looking at ways to improve our procedures to prevent tax credits fraud.

Welfare Tax Credits: Appeals

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credit claimants appealing against overpayments exercised their right to attend an oral hearing by an appeal tribunal in each  (a) month,  (b) quarter and  (c) year since April 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Information requested on the number of oral hearings requested at tribunal is not available.
	Tax credits claimants have a right of appeal against decisions about their tax credit entitlement but HM Revenue and Customs' (HMRC) Code of Practice 26 'What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit' gives the reasons why claimants might be able to dispute an overpayment and how they should do this.

Welfare Tax Credits: Manpower

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many staff are employed in the assisted adjudicator's office of HM Revenue and Customs dealing with tax credit disputes;
	(2)  how many staff are employed by HM Revenue and Customs to deal with tax credit disputes.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs currently have around 220 full-time equivalent staff members dealing with tax credits complaints.

Welfare Tax Credits: Migrant Workers

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what checks are in place to ensure that migrant workers in receipt of tax credits do not continue to receive payments after they have returned to their home countries; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what checks are in place to validate claims of EU migrant workers for child tax credits in respect of children who live abroad; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what proportion of child tax credit claims for migrant workers  (a) were rejected in each year since 2003-04 and  (b) have been rejected in 2007-08; what the principal reasons have been for the rejection of such claims; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Section 3 (3) and (7) of the Tax Credits Act 2002 provides a general requirement for all claimants to be in the UK to be eligible for the child and working tax credits, unless prescribed exceptions apply. HMRC have a range of checks in place to determine the overall risk of a claim, both pre- and post-payment, and intervene where they suspect a claim may be wrong or fraudulent. These checks apply to all claimants, irrespective of nationality.
	Claims by EU migrant workers to family benefits in the UK (child benefit and child tax credit) under the co-ordinating rules in EC Regulations 1408/71 and 574/72 are subject to checks between HMRC and the competent authorities of the other member state on the composition of the worker's family resident in the other member state and whether family benefits are in payment in that other state. In addition, claimants may be required to provide a birth or adoption certificate for the child in question or a certified copy.
	The other information requested is not available.

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the guidelines given to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) staff for recovering overpaid tax credits; what powers HMRC staff have to make calls at the claimant's home address; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have a standard process for direct recovery of tax credit overpayments, the primary objective being to encourage the claimant to make contact. The process includes printed reminders for payment, at least three attempts at making personal contact by telephone or a visit to the claimant's home address if telephone contact not possible. And finally a letter warning of legal proceedings is issued before cases are taken to court. The process includes a facility for the Tax Credits Office to withdraw, at any time, any case under dispute.
	HMRC staff operate under a general power, without which the Commissioners would be unable to undertake their duty to collect the revenue for which they are responsible, under section 5 Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005 (which includes tax credits under S5(1)(c).

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what targets have been set by HM Revenue and Customs for its staff involved in dealing with tax credit overpayment appeals; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Tax credits claimants have a right of appeal against decisions about their tax credit entitlement but HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) code of practice 26 "What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit?" gives the reasons why claimants might be able to dispute an overpayment and how they should do this.
	HMRC aim to deal with 80 per cent. of correspondence within 15 working days of receipt and 95 per cent. within 40 working days.

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made in using a pilot to test the possibility of the adjudicator working with HM Revenue and Customs to provide a fast track independent review for disputed tax credit overpayments; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC are planning with the adjudicator to provide a fast track independent review for disputed overpayments. A pilot will start in next few months to test arrangements.

Welfare Tax Credits: Publicity

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total spending on all forms of tax credit publicity and advertising was in  (a) 2005-06 and  (b) 2006-07; if he will list the spending on each tax credits campaign; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is as follows:
	 (a) l refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 31 October 2006,  Official Report, column 319W.
	 (b) l refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury gave to the hon. Member for Rayleigh (Mr. Francois) on 14 May 2007,  Official Report, column 566W.
	Information is not available at campaign level.

Welfare Tax Credits: Take-up

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the take-up of tax credits for those with incomes of between £10,000 and £20,000 per annum; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Estimates of the take-up rate of tax credits by band of income in 2004-05, the most recent year of available data, is available in table 4 of the publication "Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit. Take-up rates. 2004-05." This publication is available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/takeup-rates2004-05.pdf

Carer's Allowances: Forms

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations he has received from voluntary organisations on the ease of use of carer's allowance claim forms DS700(1) and DS700(2).

Anne McGuire: The administration of carers allowance is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Terry Moran, dated 25 June 2007:
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent representations he has received from voluntary organisations on the ease of use of carer's allowance claim forms DS700(1) and DS700(2).
	The Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire MP, promised you a substantive reply from the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service (DCS).
	I can confirm that there have been no recent representations received concerning the ease of use of the Carers Allowance claim forms DS700(1) and DS700(2). However, very positive comments have been received following the introduction of a shorter Carers Allowance claim form (DS700 (SP)) last year.
	This form asks customers of pension age only the basic, relevant questions for claiming Carers Allowance and is intended to be used where the customer's State Pension is in payment and will overlap with payment of Carers Allowance.
	In developing this form, the DCS were proactive in seeking the comments of the voluntary sector by consulting with the DCS Advisory Forum, which is our main consultation mechanism and consists of representatives from 17 national customer organisations. We received many helpful comments that helped to shape the final claim form.
	I hope this reply is helpful.

Child Support Act 1991

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the cost of repealing sections 6 and 46 of the Child Support Act 1991; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The overall impact of the measures in the Child maintenance and Other Payments Bill 2007 are set out in the regulatory impact assessment (RIA) which was published alongside the Bill. The impact of the repeal of section 6 and 46 can be found in the IIA, paragraphs 34 to 53.

Child Support Agency: Internet

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) individuals hits there were on and  (b) unique users of the Child Support Agency website in each month since 2001.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 25 June 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many individuals hits and unique users used the Child Support Agency (CSA) website in each month since 2001.
	Such information as is available is in the attached table. We do not have any information collected for this prior to September 2002.
	Please note that:
	A visit is what we count when someone comes to the web site.
	A hit is a request to the server for information. If a page contains images then there is one hit for the page and one for each image contained on the page. For instance someone viewing the home page of the website will count as one visitor but six hits—one for the page itself and one for each of the five images on the page.
	Unique visitors are individuals who visited the site during the report period. If someone visits more than once, they are counted only the first time they visit.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Appendix 1 
			  Month  Hits  Visits  Unique visitors 
			  2002
			 September (part month) 699,543 21,347 8,248 
			 October 1,469,081 47,810 15,520 
			 November 1,661,346 49,072 15,145 
			 December 1,298,095 38,919 12,329 
			 
			  2003
			 January 661,259 56,356 21,722 
			 February 584,819 51,485 21,673 
			 March 546,714 57,837 23,685 
			 April 562,235 60,604 25,418 
			 May 557,047 59,768 25,546 
			 June 572,299 59,929 25,193 
			 July 640,057 65,333 26,683 
			 August 623,767 60,941 25,424 
			 September 730,894 68,200 30,817 
			 October 3,219,468 80,726 33,618 
			 November 3,680,544 76,516 31,170 
			 December 2,670,561 61,971 24,407 
			 
			  2004
			 January 4,628,891 88,218 35,452 
			 February 4,015,477 79,765 31,633 
			 March 4,600,627 79,765 35,605 
			 April 3,563,553 92,771 35,605 
			 May 3,734,473 81,977 31,401 
			 June 3,916,304 82,143 32,074 
			 July 3,863,360 81,810 31,977 
			 August 3,990,877 86,181 35,143 
			 September 4,420,653 96,184 41,496 
			 October 4,967,993 210,050 104,561 
			 November 4,959,809 164,747 83,129 
			 December 3,002,242 71,018 26,280 
			 
			  2005
			 January 5,202,361 103,127 44,094 
			 February 4,137,837 94,497 39,410 
			 March 4,150,312 102,238 41,334 
			 April 4,079,402 98,119 40,462 
			 May 4,018,123 97,564 39,921 
			 June 4,066,776 102,043 42,420 
			 July 4,066,406 105,007 42,989 
			 August 4,288,431 109,647 45,924 
			 September 4,753,980 114,756 50,651 
			 October 4,359,862 110,902 48,323 
			 November 4,447,157 116,448 49,110 
			 December 3,080,160 91,645 36,061 
			  2006
			 January 5,170,398 136,749 64,211 
			 February 3,486,401 129,298 55,499 
			 March 3,526,061 125,992 56,858 
			 April 2,801,416 109,426 49,912 
			 May 3,089,939 119,029 53,133 
			 June 3,008,979 117,451 52,398 
			 July 3,220,869 117,451 52,398 
			 August 3,271,955 124,615 58,782 
			 September 3,549,710 131,574 62,593 
			 October 3,342,967 133,012 62,537 
			 November 3,171,318 128,577 62,126 
			 December 2,275,975 111,471 52,545 
			 
			  2007
			 January 3,470,262 163,122 82,788 
			 February 3,002,254 151,937 77,780 
			 March 3,302,491 170,932 86,549 
			 April 2,989,114 155,090 81,166

Children: Maintenance

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how long, on average, parents with care in receipt of benefits awaited payment in  (a) old scheme and  (b) new scheme Child Support Agency cases in each month since January 2003.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the Chief Executive.
	He will write to the right, hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 25 June 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how long on average parents with care in receipt of benefits awaited payment in (a) old scheme and (b) new scheme Child Support Agency cases in each month since January 2003.
	Such information as is available can be found in the attached table, which shows both the number of months that parents with care in receipt of benefits and with a positive liability, to whom maintenance is due have been awaiting payment from the non-resident parent and the median average wait experienced by all parents with care on benefits. Figures for the new scheme should be taken in the context of that for a new caseload, and that for the old scheme in the context of an ageing caseload that is no longer receiving any new cases. In addition, any increase in the total number of non-compliant cases should be viewed in the context of an increase in the overall caseload over the same period.
	It should be noted that, in establishing whether a parent with care was in receipt of benefit, the Agency has to match its data to DWP benefit data. The DWP information is only available on a quarterly basis; the latest available is for August 2006.
	As you will be aware, the Agency has committed in its Operational Improvement Plan, published in February 2006, to improve performance, including that 80 per cent. of new applications will be cleared within 12 weeks of receipt by March 2009 and helping 200,000 more children to benefit from maintenance payments, equating to an additional £140 million in maintenance collected, by March 2008, growing to £250 million by March 2009.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Table 1: The number of months that cases with a positive maintenance liability have been awaiting payment from the non resident parent, and the median average wait where the parent with care was in receipt of benefit, May 2003 to August 2006, by scheme 
			   Cases paying in month  Cases waiting less than 3 months  Cases waiting 3 to 6 months  Cases waiting 6 to 12 months  Cases waiting 1 to 2 years  Cases waiting Over 2 years  Time bands of Median average wait for maintenance for all PWC's on benefit 
			  New Scheme
			 May 2003 - 4,000 - - - - 0-3 months 
			 August 2003 1,000 9,000 3,000 - - . 0-3 months 
			 November 2003 4,000 16,000 6,000 2,000 - - 0-3 months 
			 February 2004 8,000 14,000 11,000 7,000 - - 0-3 months 
			 May 2004 13,000 14,000 9,000 12,000 1,000 - 0-3 months 
			 August 2004 18,000 13,000 9,000 14,000 5,000 - 0-3 months 
			 November 2004 23,000 13,000 8,000 12,000 9,000 - 0-3 months 
			 February 2005 28,000 14,000 8,000 11,000 12,000 - 0-3 months 
			 May 2005 35,000 16,000 8,000 11,000 14,000 1,000 0-3 months 
			 August 2005 42,000 17,000 9,000 11,000 14,000 3,000 0-3 months 
			 November 2005 48,000 20,000 10,000 12,000 13,000 5,000 0-3 months 
			 February 2006 56,000 22,000 11,000 13,000 13,000 7,000 0-3 months 
			 May 206 68,000 21,000 11,000 14,000 13,000 9,000 In Payment 
			 August 2006 75,000 22,000 11,000 14,000 14,000 10,000 In Payment 
			  Old Scheme
			 May 2003 85,000 25,000 6,000 8,000 8,000 23,000 In Payment 
			 August 2003 78,000 20,000 14,000 9,000 9,000 21,000 In Payment 
			 November 2003 71,000 16,000 9,000 14,000 9,000 19,000 In Payment 
			 February 2004 65,000 15,000 7,000 14,000 10,000 20,000 0-3 months 
			 May 2004 62,000 12,000 6,000 10,000 13,000 19,000 In Payment 
			 August 2004 60,000 11,000 5,000 9,000 14,000 19,000 In Payment 
			 November 2004 56,000 13,000 5,000 8,000 18,000 21,000 0-3 months 
			 February 2005 51,000 8,000 8,000 7,000 17,000 21,000 0-3 months 
			 May 2005 49,000 8,000 3,000 10,000 14,000 26,000 0-3 months 
			 August 2005 48,000 6,000 3,000 9,000 12,000 28,000 0-3 months 
			 November 2005 46,000 5,000 3,000 5,000 13,000 29,000 0-3 months 
			 February 2006 43,000 7,000 2,000 5,000 11,000 29,000 3-6 months 
			 May 2006 44,000 5,000 2,000 4,000 10,000 28,000 0-3 months 
			 August 2006 42,000 6,000 2,000 3,000 9,000 28,000 0-3 months 
			  Total - Both Schemes
			 May 2003 85,000 28,000 6,000 8,000 8,000 23,000 In Payment 
			 August 2003 78,000 29,000 17,000 9,000 9,000 21,000 0-3 months 
			 November 2003 75,000 31,000 15,000 16,000 9,000 19,000 0-3 months 
			 February 2004 73,000 29,000 18,000 20,000 10,000 20,000 0-3 months 
			 May 2004 75,000 26,000 15,000 23,000 15,000 19,000 0-3 months 
			 August 2004 78,000 24,000 14,000 23,000 19,000 19,000 0-3 months 
			 November 2004 79,000 26,000 12,000 20,000 27,000 21,000 0-3 months 
			 February 2005 79,000 22,000 16,000 18,000 29,000 21,000 0-3 months 
			 May 2005 84,000 24,000 11,000 21,000 28,000 26,000 0-3 months 
			 August 2005 90,000 24,000 13,000 20,000 26,000 30,000 0-3 months 
			 November 2005 95,000 25,000 13,000 17,000 27,000 34,000 0-3 months 
			 February 2006 99,000 28,000 14,000 18,000 24,000 36,000 0-3 months 
			 May 2006 112,000 27,000 13,000 18,000 23,000 37,000 0-3 months 
			 August 2006 116,000 28,000 13,000 18,000 22,000 38,000 0-3 months 
			  Notes to table: 1. Due to limitations with available management information, it is not possible to calculate the mean average time that cases have been waiting for a payment; hence the table shows the median average time band (in months) either since a payment was received on the case or since the case was calculated as having a positive liability. 2. The table shows cases where the parent with care was on benefit at the end of the month shown. This does not necessarily mean that the parent with care has been on benefit for the entire duration of the CSA claim. 3. Cases are classed as waiting if they are currently open, either non-compliant or have a calculation/assessment but no active charging schedule in place, and no maintenance has been received in the quarter ending with the month shown. 4. The table includes both old scheme cases on the old computer system and old scheme cases, which have been migrated onto the new computer system. 5. The table starts from May 2003, as this is the first month it is possible to provide comparable data across both the new and old schemes. 6. Numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand. '-' Indicates a figure less than 500.

Children: Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the caseload of the Child Support Agency and its successor, the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, for each quarter from March 1997 to March 2012; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The caseload of the Child Support Agency is published in the Quarterly Summary Statistics (QSS). The table 1 of the QSS shows the reported caseload of the Child Support Agency between May 1999 and March 2007. The caseload before this date is not reported by the Quarterly Summary Statistics as changes in the calculation methodology mean that the numbers are not comparable. Table 6 of the QSS shows the number of CSA cases with a calculation from February 1997. The table can be found at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/child_support/csa_quarterly_mar07.asp
	It is estimated that the steady state caseload of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission will be approximately one million. However, this estimate is subject to significant behavioural uncertainty and is dependent on the exact policy design and future decisions made by the Commission. It is therefore not possible to give quarterly estimates due to these dependencies.
	The research report "Summary of Child Maintenance Redesign Survey—Indications of future behaviour and choices" was published on 22 June and provides further evidence to underpin the planning assumptions. The Department for Work and Pensions is currently conducting further research to assess demand for the services that the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission will offer trough the Relationship Separation Survey which is due to be published in spring 2008.

Children: Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much outstanding liability there is in respect of  (a) interest under the Child Support (Arrears, Interest and Adjustment of Maintenance Assessments) Regulations 1992 (S.I. 1992/1816) and  (b) fees under the Child Support Fees Regulations 1992 (S.I. 1992/3094).

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child support agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty dated 25 June 2007:
	In reply to your recent parliamentary question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much outstanding liability there is in respect of  (a) interest under the Child Support (Arrears Interest and Adjustment of Maintenance Assessments) Regulations 1992 (S.I. 1992/1816) and  (b) fees under the Child Support Fees Regulations 1992 (S.I. 1992/3094).
	The Child Support Fees Regulations 1992 , S.I. 1992/3094 were repealed in 1996 and the Agency no longer charges interest on arrears of child support maintenance. As at March 31March 2006, £1.966 million in interest has been charged on outstanding maintenance.
	Fees under the Child Support Fees Regulations 1992 (S.I. 1992/3094) have not been charged since the 1994-95 financial year as the Agency no longer has the powers to charge interest since the powers to do so were repealed in 1996. As at 31 March 2006 the outstanding balance on fees recoverable from non-resident parents was £12.35 million.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Children: Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the average level of maintenance payments for two children  (a) through the existing Child Support Agency on the new scheme and  (b) through the new Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The information requested is as follows.
	 (a) The average maintenance liability for cases where there are two qualifying children through the existing Child Support Agency on the new scheme is £30 per week.
	 (b) With the increased focus on voluntary arrangements and the ending of the requirement that parents with care on benefit be treated as applying for child maintenance, not all of the current Child Support Agency caseload will choose to use the statutory maintenance service. Since we do not know the precise composition of the resulting caseload, it is not possible to estimate the average level of maintenance liabilities that will arise.
	However, the new formula has been chosen to broadly replicate the current system, although the new rates mean that non resident parents with two qualifying children at most income levels will pay slightly more as the following table shows:
	
		
			   Two qualifying children 
			  Weekly gross income  2003 rules  Proposed rules 
			 £50 5 7 
			 £150 17 20 
			 £250 41 40 
			 £350 55 56 
			 £450 68 72 
			 £550 82 88 
			 £650 96 104 
			 £750 110 120 
			 £1,000 141 152 
			 £3,000 377 392

Children: Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what provision there will be for those paying maintenance under the new Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission to request in-year reviews of their maintenance liabilities when their income changes; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: Immediate in-year reviews will be allowed when a non-resident parents' income changes by at least 25 per cent.
	Other immediate in-year reviews will still be allowed. These will include:
	The non-resident parent leaves work and goes onto benefit—or vice versa.
	A qualifying child dies, or moves abroad, or starts work.
	Maintenance is applied for in respect of a new child from the same non-resident parent.
	An application for a variation is successful.

Children: Poverty

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children were in households below  (a) 60 per cent.,  (b) 50 per cent.,  (c) 40 per cent.,  (d) 30 per cent.,  (e) 20 per cent. and  (f) 10 per cent. of median income in each year since 1994-95, broken down by (i) working and non-working households and (ii) household type.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 2 May 2007
	Figures on the 30 per cent. of median income threshold and any lower thresholds are not statistically robust as the sample sizes are too small.
	The available information is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of children living in households below 60 per cent. of median income, by working/not working households, before housing costs 
			  Million 
			   Working households  Non-working households 
			 1994-95 1.3 1.9 
			 1995-96 1.2 1.8 
			 1996-97 1.4 2.0 
			 1997-98 1.6 1.9 
			 1998-99 1.5 1.8 
			 1999-2000 1.5 1.7 
			 2000-01 1.3 1.6 
			 2001-02 1.4 1.6 
			 2002-03 1.4 1.6 
			 2003-04 1.3 1.5 
			 2004-05 1.3 1.4 
			 2005-06 1.4 1.4 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of children living in households below 60 per cent. of median income, by type of household, before housing costs 
			  Million 
			   Lone parent  Couple 
			   In full-time work  In part-time work  Not working  One or more full-time self-employed  Both in full-time work  One or more in full-time work, one in part-time work  One in full-time, one not working  One or more in part-time work only  Both not in work 
			 1994-95 (1)— 0.1 1.0 0.5 (1)— 0.1 0.4 0.2 0.9 
			 1995-96 (1)— 0.1 0.9 0.4 (1)— 0.1 0.4 0.2 0.9 
			 1996-97 (1)— 0.1 1.1 0.3 (1)— 0.1 0.5 0.3 0.8 
			 1997-98 (1)— 0.2 1.2 0.4 (1)— 0.1 0.5 0.3 0.7 
			 1998-99 (1)— 0.2 1.1 0.4 (1)— 0.1 0.5 0.3 0.7 
			 1999-2000 0.1 0.2 1.2 0.4 (1)— 0.1 0.5 0.3 0.6 
			 2000-01 (1)— 0.1 1.1 0.3 (1)— 0.1 0.4 0.3 0.5 
			 2001-02 0.1 0.2 1.0 0.3 (1)— 0.1 0.4 0.3 0.5 
			 2002-03 0.1 0.2 1.0 0.3 (1)— 0.1 0.4 0.3 0.6 
			 2003-04 (1)— 0.2 1.0 0.3 (1)— 0.1 0.4 0.3 0.5 
			 2004-05 0.1 0.2 0.9 0.4 (1)— 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.5 
			 2005-06 (1)— 0.2 0.9 0.4 (1)— 0.1 0.4 0.3 0.5 
		
	
	
		
			  Table  3 : Number of children  living in households below 5 0 per cent. of median income, by working/not working households, before housing costs 
			  Million 
			   Working households  Non-working households 
			 1994-95 0.6 0.9 
			 1995-96 0.7 0.8 
			 1996-97 0.7 1.0 
			 1997-98 0.8 1.0 
			 1998-99 0.8 0.9 
			 1999-2000 0.8 0.8 
			 2000-01 0.7 0.8 
			 2001-02 0.7 0.7 
			 2002-03 0.7 0.8 
			 2003-04 0.7 0.7 
			 2004-05 0.7 0.7 
			 2005-06 0.7 0.7 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: Number of children living in households below 50 per cent. of median income, by type of household, before housing costs 
			  Million 
			   Lone parent  Couple 
			   In full-time work  In part-time work  Not working  One or more full-time self-employed  Both in full-time work  One or more in full-time work, one in part-time work  One in full-time, one not working  One or more in part-time work only  Both not in work 
			 1994-95 (1)— (1)— 0.3 0.3 (1)— (1)— 0.1 0.1 0.6 
			 1995-96 (1)— (1)— 0.3 0.3 (1)— (1)— 0.1 0.1 0.5 
			 1996-97 (1)— 0.1 0.5 0.2 (1)— (1)— 0.2 0.2 0.6 
			 1997-98 (1)— 0.1 0.6 0.3 (1)— (1)— 0.2 0.2 0.4 
			 1998-99 (1)— 0.1 0.5 0.3 (1)— 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.4 
			 1999-2000 (1)— 0.1 0.5 0.2 (1)— (1)— 0.2 0.2 0.4 
			 2000-01 (1)— 0.1 0.5 0.2 (1)— (1)— 0.2 0.2 0.4 
			 2001-02 (1)— 0.1 0.4 0.2 (1)— 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.3 
			 2002-03 (1)— 0.1 0.4 0.2 (1)— (1)— 0.2 0.2 0.4 
			 2003-04 (1)— 0.1 0.4 0.2 (1)— (1)— 0.2 0.2 0.3 
			 2004-05 (1)— 0.1 0.4 0.2 (1)— (1)— 0.1 0.1 0.3 
			 2005-06 (1)— 0.1 0.4 0.3 (1)— 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.3 
		
	
	
		
			  Table  5 : Number of children  living in households below 4 0 per cent. of median income, by working/not working households, before housing costs 
			  Million 
			   Working households  Non-working households 
			 1994-95 0.3 0.2 
			 1995-96 0.4 0.2 
			 1996-97 0.3 0.3 
			 1997-98 0.4 0.3 
			 1998-99 0.4 0.3 
			 1999-2000 0.4 0.3 
			 2000-01 0.4 0.3 
			 2001-02 0.4 0.3 
			 2002-03 0.4 0.3 
			 2003-04 0.3 0.4 
			 2004-05 0.3 0.3 
			 2005-06 0.3 0.4 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 6: Number of children living in households below 40 per cent. of median income, by type of household, before housing costs 
			  Million 
			   Lone parent  Couple 
			   In full-time work  In part-time work  Not working  One or more full-time self-employed  Both in full-time work  One or more in full-time work, one in part-time work  One in full-time, one not working  One or more in part-time work only  Both not in work 
			 1994-95 (1)— (1)— 0.1 0.2 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 0.2 
			 1995-96 (1)— (1)— 0.1 0.2 (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 0.2 
			 1996-97 (1)— (1)— 0.1 0.2 (1)— (1)— (1)— 0.1 0.2 
			 1997-98 (1)— (1)— 0.1 0.2 (1)— (1)— 0.1 0.1 0.2 
			 1998-99 (1)— (1)— 0.1 0.2 (1)— (1)— 0.1 0.1 0.2 
			 1999-2000 (1)— (1)— 0.1 0.2 (1)— (1)— 0.1 0.1 0.1 
			 2000-01 (1)— (1)— 0.2 0.2 (1)— (1)— 0.1 0.1 0.2 
			 2001-02 (1)— (1)— 0.1 0.2 (1)— (1)— (1)— 0.1 0.1 
			 2002-03 (1)— 0.1 0.1 0.2 (1)— (1)— 0.1 0.1 0.2 
			 2003-04 (1)— (1)— 0.1 0.1 (1)— (1)— 0.1 0.1 0.2 
			 2004-05 (1)— (1)— 0.2 0.1 (1)— (1)— 0.1 0.1 0.2 
			 2005-06 (1)— (1)— 0.2 0.2 (1)— (1)— 0.1 0.1 0.2 
			 (1) Less than 50,000.  Notes: 1. The information shown in the tables is for Great Britain up to 2001-02 and for the United Kingdom for 2002-03 onwards. 2. The information is based on OECD equivalisation factors and therefore will not be the same as any figures previously published that were based on McClements equivalisation factors.  Source: Family Resources Survey.

Children: Poverty

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2007,  Official Report, column 520W, on children: poverty, how many and what proportion of householders with less than 60 per cent. of average national income  (a) receive tax credits,  (b) are eligible for tax credits and  (c) do not claim tax credits.

Jim Murphy: Specific information regarding low income for the United Kingdom is available in "Households Below Average Income 1994/95-2005/06 (Revised)".
	The available information, for parts  (a) and  (c) of the question, is shown in the following table.
	Information is not available to answer question  (b). I refer the right hon. Member to the written answer the Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Mr. Timms) gave to him on 11 June 2007,  Official Report, column 830W.
	
		
			  Table 1:  Number and proportion of households with less than 60 per cent. of median income that report receipt of tax credits: 2005-06 
			   Before h ousing  c osts  After h ousing  c osts 
			  Number of households (million) 0.8 1.2 
			  Proportion of households Percentage) 17 22 
			  Source:  Family Resources Survey 2005-06 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number and proportion of households with less than 60 per cent. of median income that do not report receipt of tax credits: 2005-06 
			   Before h ousing  c osts  After h ousing  c osts 
			  Number of households (million) 3.9 4.2 
			  Proportion of households Percentage) 83 78 
			  Note:  The figures are based on OECD equivalisation factors, and will not be the same as any figures previously published which were based on McClements equivalisation factors.  Source:  Family Resources Survey 2005-06

Children: Poverty

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of children removed from relative poverty due to payment of child support in each year since 1997.

James Plaskitt: Information relating to the number of children removed from relative poverty due to payment of child support before 2003-04 is only available at disproportionate cost. For the years 2003-04 to 2005-06, estimates are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of children removed from poverty due to payment of child support 
			 2003-04 80,000 
			 2004-05 90,000 
			 2005-06 100,000 
			  Notes:  Figures are rounded to the nearest 10,000. Poverty is defined here as living in a household which has less than 60 per cent. of median income on an equivalised before housing costs basis. The poverty threshold is contemporary, so is 60 per cent. of median income in that year. Figures are produced using the McClements equivalisation scale, except for 2006-07 which uses the OECD equivalisation scale. figures are based on a survey and so are subject to measurement error, changes in the numbers between years cannot be considered statistically significant.   Source:  Department for Work and Pensions policy simulation model based on family resources survey data.

Departments: Foreign Relations

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Memoranda of Understanding are in force as a result of agreements with foreign governments entered into by Ministers in his Department; and what executive actions each entails.

James Plaskitt: Ministers have signed a number of bilateral co-operation agreements, including some formal Memoranda of Understanding, with countries including China, France, Ireland and Netherlands. Most of these aim to facilitate exchanges of information and experience on employment and labour market policies or combating welfare fraud.

Departments: Official Cars

Si�n Simon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what make and model of car  (a) he and  (b) each Minister in his Department selected as their official ministerial car; and what criteria were used when making the decision in each case.

Anne McGuire: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 14 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1269W.

Departments: Older Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of staff in his Department were over 60 years of age in each of the last three years.

Anne McGuire: The percentage of staff who were over 60 years of age in each of the last three years in the Department for Work and Pensions is in the following table.
	
		
			   Percentage of staff over 60 years 
			 31 March 2005 2.8 
			 31 March 2006 3.2 
			 31 March 2007 3.8 
			  Note:  Percentages are point in time at each of the specified dates.

Departments: Sick Leave

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what average number of days per year was taken by staff in his Department as sick leave in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Anne McGuire: The available information is in the following table.
	Official figures on the level of sickness absence in the Civil Service are reported by the Cabinet Office annually in a report titled 'Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service'. The last report is for the year 2005. Data for 2006 is being compiled currently and the report will be published later this year.
	
		
			  Average working days absence per staff-year 
			   Number 
			 2001 11.1 
			 2002 10.8 
			 2003 11.6 
			 2004 9.6 
			 2005 10.1

Departments: Sick Leave

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many sick days were taken by staff of his Department and its executive agencies in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the average number of sick days taken by staff members was.

Anne McGuire: The available information is in the table. Official figures on the level of sickness absence in the Civil Service are reported by the Cabinet Office annually in a report titled 'Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service'. The latest report is for the year 2005. Data for 2006 is being compiled currently and will be published later this year.
	
		
			  Business  Sickness days in 2005  Average days per staff year 
			 Jobcentre Plus 794,024  
			 Pension Service 132,179  
			 Child Support Agency 120,066  
			 Corporate Centre 125,413  
			 Disability and Carers Service 61,480  
			 DWP Overall 1,233,162  
			 Average working days lost (per staff year)  10.1

Departments: Sick Leave

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of sick leave taken by staff in his Department was stress-related in each of the last three years.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions does not have a category for recording stress related sick leave. Sick leave related to a range of metal health conditions is recorded. This includes stress-related absences, but also other mental health problems such as, schizophrenia and depression.
	
		
			  Percentage of employees who were absent in the years 2005 to 2007 due to anxiety, depression and other mental health issues 
			  Year ending  Percentage absent 
			 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005 22 
			 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006 17 
			 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007 22

Financial Assistance Scheme

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent on  (a) administration and  (b) legal fees for the Financial Assistance Scheme in each month since its inception; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: The Financial Assistance Scheme was announced in May 2004. Information on monthly expenditure is not available in comparative terms covering the period 2004-05 and 2005-06. However, total expenditure on administration in 2004-05 was 1.06 million, in 2005-06 4.73 million and in 2006-07 3.988 million. One off legal fees of 2,089 arose in March 2005.
	Figures for 2006-07 are in the following table. In addition to administration costs these also include IT design and implementation costs and ongoing IT running costs.
	
		
			  Financial year 2006-07  Monthly expenditure () 
			  2006 
			 April 144,542 
			 May 198,464 
			 June 159,827 
			 July 617,991 
			 August 170,832 
			 September 169,283 
			 October 278,945 
			 November 426,418 
			 December 587,300 
			  2007  
			 January 229,627 
			 February 232,785 
			 March 771,628 
			 Total April 2006 to March 2007 (Actual) 3,987,642 
			 Overall total to March 2006-07 3,987,642 
		
	
	Figures for 2007-08 are in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year 2007-08  Expenditure () 
			 April 2007 126,436

Homelessness

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects his Department to complete the evaluation of the Working Futures scheme.

Jim Murphy: The Working Future project is led by the Greater London Authority (GLA) and East Thames (a large registered social landlord). Although the Department for Work and Pensions is supporting the project, the GLA are responsible for its evaluation.

Industrial Accidents: Construction

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of workplace deaths in the construction industry resulted in  (a) prosecution and  (b) conviction in each of the last five years.

Anne McGuire: HSE does not hold this information in a manner allowing the question to be answered without incurring disproportionate cost. Work is in hand to allow regular reporting of this information from 2007-08 onwards.
	In response to a recent exercise to respond to an FOI request HSE prepared figures for the years 2000-01 to 2002-03 inclusive. There are still some prosecutions ongoing from these years, and we cannot give figures for 2003-04 onwards because of significant numbers of outstanding prosecutions.
	The as yet unvalidated data that is available are:
	
		
			   2000-01  2001-02  2002-03 
			 Fatal accidents 113 85 75 
			 Successful prosecution (to date) 46 36 28 
			 Successful prosecution (percentage) 41 42 37

Industrial Health and Safety: Hearing Impaired

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what provisions have been made in the workplace to allow for deaf employees to carry out their work efficiently in the last five years.

Anne McGuire: In the last five years, the Government have significantly improved the protection afforded to disabled people, including people with hearing impairments, under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). For example, from 1 October 2004, we extended the employment provision of the Act to cover all employers and all previously excluded occupations with the exception of service in the armed forces.
	The DDA requires employers to make reasonable adjustments for disabled employees or job applicants where the disabled person would otherwise be at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person. For a deaf person, this may include installing induction loops or visual warning displays in place of, or in addition to, audible warnings.
	Provision of assistance for people with a hearing impairment is available through Access to Work. As well as giving advice and information to disabled people and employers, grants are available towards the approved costs that arise because of an individual's impairment. For example, Access to Work can help pay for communication support for people who are deaf or have a hearing impairment. Funding for Access to Work has increased from 51 million in 2002-03 to 64 million in 2007-08.
	Updated and strengthened guidance on the provision of support workers, including communication support for deaf and hard of hearing people, was issued to all Access to Work Business Centres in December 2006. The guidance describes the types of support that may be suitable, for example sign language interpreters, lip speakers and palantypists, as well as the steps to take to establish the type and level of appropriate support.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many claimants of income-based jobseeker's allowance have  (a) working and  (b) non-working partners;
	(2)  how many claimants of contribution-based jobseeker's allowance have  (a) working and  (b) non-working partners.

James Plaskitt: Information on Jobseeker's Allowance claimants who have partners with full-time earnings is not available. The available information is in the tables
	
		
			  Income Based Jobseeker's Allowance claimants November 2006 
			   Number 
			 Claimants with a partner with part-time earnings recorded 3,700 
			 Claimants with a partner who does not have part-time earnings recorded 90,200 
		
	
	
		
			  Contribution Based Jobseeker's Allowance claimants November 2006 
			   Number 
			 Claimants with a partner with part-time earnings recorded *300 
			 Claimants with a partner who does not have part-time earnings recorded 51,700 
			  Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. Figures are based on five per cent samples and are therefore subject to sampling variation. 3. Caseloads have been uprated using 5 per cent. proportions against 100 per cent. WPLS totals. 4. Information is given as to whether the claimants have a partner recorded with part-time earnings or self employed part-time earnings. 5. Figures marked '*' are based on very few sample cases and are therefore subject to a high degree of sampling variation, such figures should be used as a guide only.  Sources: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS). DWP Information Directorate, 5 per cent. samples.

National Insurance Contributions: Rebates

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1540W, on national insurance contributions: rebates, for what reasons the Government are expecting the number of people in contracted out defined benefit pension schemes to fall from between 2006-07 and 2015-16; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: The reason estimates of the number of individuals contracted out in defined benefit pension schemes between 2006-07 and 2015-16 is shown to be declining, is due to a fall in the number of private sector contracted-out defined benefit schemes, and a fall in the number of such schemes open to new members. This is based on evidence from the 2004 and 2005 GAD Occupational Pension Schemes Survey.

New Deal Schemes

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of applicants on each New Deal programme were placed in jobs lasting  (a) 13 weeks and under and  (b) over 13 weeks in each region in each quarter since 1998.

Jim Murphy: Information is not available on the duration of employment obtained through new deal 50-plus and new deal for partners.
	Information on sustained employment through new deal for disabled people is only available to March 2006, as separate data on whether a job is sustained or not has not been collected centrally since then.
	The available information has been placed in the Library.

Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has taken to protect the assets of pension schemes in wind-up with a deficiency of assets, pending the outcome of the review he has established.

James Purnell: It is not for the Government to offer advice to trustees on whether and when they should purchase annuities. Trustees must act in the best interests of their members and in accordance with scheme rules and their statutory obligations. The government would not want to issue advice that many conflict with these responsibilities in some circumstances. It is important that trustees continue the process of winding up including data cleansing and determination of asset shares. They may, however, wish to consider whether it is in the best interest of their members to purchase annuities ahead of the interim findings of the assets review which have been promised in the summer.

Pensions: Advisory Services

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the Pensions Service follow-up procedure is once a home visit has been carried out.

James Purnell: The Pension Service Local Service was developed to provide face-to-face access for our customers, including home visits. Following a home visit, applications for pension credit are sent to the appropriate pension centre for processing. Applications for other benefits or entitlements are forwarded to the appropriate authority for consideration.

Personal Savings

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the proportion of the 5.7 million employees identified on page 94 of the regulatory impact assessment to Personal Accounts: a new way to save as being offered contributions greater than 6 per cent. who are  (a) non-members of these schemes but eligible to join and  (b) non-members of the schemes who are not currently eligible to join.

James Purnell: The data requested is not available.

Self-Employed: Disabled

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what training is available to disabled people in receipt of incapacity benefit wishing to become self-employed.

Jim Murphy: We already have powers to offer training to disabled people in receipt of incapacity benefit through New Deal for Disabled People and Pathways to Work. Pathways to Work will be rolled out nationally by April 2008, primarily via the private and voluntary sectors in 60 per cent. of the country. Contracts will not specify exactly what programme of support should be available, enabling providers to offer innovative work focused support which is tailored to the needs of individual customers and could potentially include self employment training.
	Further assistance may also be available from Jobcentre Plus, which offers a wide range of practical and financial help to assist customers, such as career development loans. Specially trained personal advisers are available to discuss with customers any barrier that is preventing them from starting self-employment. They also provide a booklet 'Work For Yourself' which gives advice and information on starting a small business or arranging a franchise.
	They are also able to give advise on further sources of support; including The Prince's Trust, Business Link, Training for Work in Scotland and Work Based Learning in Wales.
	In addition, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) offers a wide range of small business support information and packages, including a small suite of grants, loans guarantees and subsidised consultancy to address a range of business issues. They also have information about finance and grants for starting up and developing a small business and can provide practical support for the key stages of innovation or research and development and helps businesses to become more efficient, competitive and profitable.

Severe Disablement Allowance

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are in receipt of severe disability allowances; and what expenses such allowances are intended to cover.

Anne McGuire: At November 2006, there were 2,845,750 disability living allowance (DLA) cases in payment and 1,679,360 people entitled to AA, which includes those who have had payment of their benefit suspended, for example because they were in hospital.
	DLA and AA are the main benefits paid by this Department to people with severe disabilities. These benefits are intended to provide a contribution towards the general extra costs faced by severely disabled people as a result of their disabilities, allowing recipients to use the benefit according to their own priorities.

Written Questions

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to answer Question  (a) 122108 and  (b) 122109, tabled for answer on 22 February 2007 by the right hon. Member for Birkenhead, on 18 to 24 year olds who are not in employment, education or training.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 19 March 2007
	Replies were given to my hon. Friend's question number 122108 on 3 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1830W and to question number 122109 on 21 June 2007,  Official Report, column 2248W.

Aviation: Baggage

David Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the reasons are for the different hand baggage allowance for passengers leaving the UK and passengers arriving in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Department has currently placed a limit of one cabin bag per passenger in order to manage the current threat to aviation in the UK, which is higher than for most other countries. The resulting reduction in the number of x-ray images per passenger ensures that the security checks are, undertaken to the highest possible standard. This measure has not been adopted by other states.
	The Department has invited industry to put forward proposals to facilitate the screening of more than one bag per passenger, while still delivering effective security.

Driving Offences: Insurance

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to review the penalties available to magistrates in dealing with uninsured drivers.

Stephen Ladyman: The range of penalties open to magistrates when dealing with uninsured driving offences are already extensive, ranging from a fine at up to 5,000 and an obligatory requirement for 6 to 8 points on an offenders driving licence. In addition the police now have powers to seize and dispose of any vehicles being found driven uninsured. Separately the Road Safety Act 2006 provided for a scheme of continuous insurance enforcement with significant penalties, including seizure of vehicles being used uninsured. The Department is currently preparing detailed implementation plans for this scheme. Once this scheme is operational we will be reviewing the full range of penalties and sanctions available to tackle uninsured driving, and to see what further actions might be needed.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the full emissions profile per mile is, both laden and unladen, for  (a) 38 tonne heavy goods vehicle (HGV),  (b) 44 tonne HGVs,  (c) transit type vans and  (d) family saloons.

Stephen Ladyman: Vehicle emissions vary significantly depending on the exact operating conditions. In the case of local pollutants, emissions depend greatly on the age of the vehicle and hence the emissions standards it was designed to meet. The following data is based on the vehicle emissions factors used in the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory which are derived from Department for Transport (and other) vehicle emissions test data. The figures quoted relate to average emissions over all UK roads for the year 2005 fleet. Emissions may be significantly different for specific sections of road and will decrease for subsequent years as vehicles meeting the latest emissions standards enter the fleet.
	
		
			   g/km 
			  Vehicle type  NOx  PM 10  CO  HC  CO 2 
			 Petrol Passenger Car 0.31 0.0029 1.1 0.08 186 
			 Diesel Passenger Car 0.57 0.049 0.11 0.04 178 
			 Diesel Light Goods Vehicle 0.87 0.14 0.46 0.10 291 
			 Articulated HGV 10.6 0.26 2.1 0.92 1677 
		
	
	The emissions factors underlying the aforementioned data are based on testing up to the year 2001. The Department is in the process of updating these factors based on new test data accumulated over the last five years.
	The aforementioned data represents vehicles at typical load conditions. The Department does not hold data on the unladen and fully laden emissions of vehicles or the relative emissions of articulated HGVs of different gross vehicle weights. However, we are conducting research on the impacts of payload on fuel consumption and hence CO2 emissions. Preliminary results from this work suggest a reduction of 0.112 miles per gallon per tonne of payload. This equates to in the region of a 1.1 per cent. increase in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions per tonne.

Railways: Standards

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many trains were cancelled in each of the last 12 months, broken down by region.

Tom Harris: Train cancellation data for the rail network as a whole is collected and processed by Network Rail. For a response, the hon. Member may wish to contact Network Rail's Chief Executive at the following address:
	John Armitt
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	40, Melton Street
	London
	NW1 2EE

Transport: Greater London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how much funding for which his Department is responsible was allocated to each London borough in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how much central government funding was allocated to each London borough for road improvements in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: Capital funding to London boroughs for improvements to transport, including highways, is a matter for the Mayor. The Department gives a block grant to Transport for London, from which borough transport improvements can be funded.
	Additionally, under the Mixed Priority Route Road Safety Demonstration Project, 1 million in grant was allocated to each of the London borough of Southwark and the London borough of Lambeth for highway works between 2002-03 and 2006-07. Over three years from 2001 to 2003 funding was also provided for the Kerbcraft scheme to equip local volunteers to work with small groups of 5-7 year olds on improving basic roadside skills. The funding was allocated to the London boroughs as shown in the chart as follows.
	
		
			  Payments to London boroughs running 'Kerbcraft' schemes( 1) 
			  000 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Camden 9 28 27 23  
			 Croydon 9 24 25 27  
			 Enfield 28 27 24   
			 Greenwich 26 29 48 22 27 
			 Haringey  5 28 29 28 
			 Islington  2 26 22 26 
			 Lambeth 32 37 25 21  
			 Lewisham 34 55 39 31  
			 Southwark 2 11  22  
			 Tower Hamlets 10 38 59 46 26 
			 Waltham Forest 4 22 22 19  
			 Westminster  9 29 31 21 
			 (1 )Payment was made after the end of the financial year in which the training was carried out. 
		
	
	The Department has also awarded PFI credits to London boroughs in order to support them to enter into a PFI contract to improve their street lighting. The PFI credits awarded to London boroughs for street lighting schemes in the last five years are:
	
		
			  London borough  Month of award  PFI c redits awarded ( million) 
			 London borough of Islington May 2003 12.2 
			 London borough of Ealing July 2005 25.3 
			 London borough of Lambeth November 2005 17.2 
			 London borough of Barnet March 2006 27.8 
			 London borough of Enfield March 2006 23.7

Transport: Noise

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to address noise generated by  (a) road traffic,  (b) trains and  (c) aviation.

Gillian Merron: On aircraft noise, the Government's objective is to strike a fair balance between the local and national benefits that can be gained from airport expansion and the local environmental costs that might be imposed on people who live nearest to airports.
	One of the aims of The 2003 Future of Air Transport White Paper was that the number of people in the UK significantly affected by aircraft noise should be limited and, where possible, reduced. In helping airports deliver this aim, the Civil Aviation Act 2006 strengthened airport operators' powers to control noise at airports.
	The Environmental Noise Directive requires the production of strategic noise maps for large urban areas, major roads, major railways and major airports. The maps will be used to prepare noise action plans during 2008 setting out how environmental noise, including that from transport sources, will be managed. To inform the development of these plans, the Department for Transport will work closely with DEFRA and transport stakeholders in reviewing how transport noise is currently managed and what additional mitigation measures might be needed.
	In assessing the impact of new road proposals on the environment, noise annoyance is taken into account in scheme appraisal. Road construction projects will include high standards of environmental mitigation to ensure that, so far as reasonably possible, the impact of noise is minimised in accordance with this policy.

Apprentices: Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many 16 to 18-year-olds in West Lancashire  (a) started an apprenticeship,  (b) completed an apprenticeship and  (c) found employment in the field of their apprenticeship in each of the last three years.

Phil Hope: The following table shows the number of apprenticeship starts for 16 to 18-year-olds in West Lancashire.
	
		
			   West Lancashire  England 
			   Advanced apprenticeship  Apprenticeship  Advanced apprenticeship  Apprenticeship 
			 2003/04 50 220 27,520 85,510 
			 2004/05 60 190 26,990 87,900 
			 2005/06 60 160 23,610 77,400 
			  Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10  Source: Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Work Based Learning (WBL) Individualised Learner Record (ILR) 
		
	
	Success rates (the number of leavers who meet all of the requirements of their apprenticeship framework divided by the number of leavers who have either left training or successfully completed their programme) by age group and programme type are published in the Statistical First Release: Further Education and work-based learning for young peoplelearner outcomes in England. Success rates for 16 to 18-year-olds are shown in the following table. These figures are not currently available at parliamentary constituency level.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Advanced apprenticeship  Apprenticeship 
			 2003/04 36 31 
			 2004/05 41 41 
			 2005/06 56 54 
			  Source: WBL ILR 
		
	
	The ILR does not collect information about the field of employment learners go into on completion of their apprenticeships although because the vast majority of apprentices are employed during their training it is probable that most will stay in the same field of employment on completion of their training.

Apprenticeships

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many learners  (a) participated in programme-led pathways and  (b) participated in programme-led pathways and progressed to (i) a work-based learning programme and (ii) a further education programme in each year since the inception of the scheme.

Phil Hope: holding answer 16 April 2007
	 Programme Led Pathways (PLPs) were introduced in 2004/05 for young people on courses of further education in colleges including study towards qualifications that form a mandatory part of an approved apprenticeship framework.
	In 2004/05 the number of programme led pathways recorded was 40,510 (rounded to the nearest 10) or 18.7 per cent. of total starts.
	PLPs were replaced by programme led apprenticeships (PLAs) in 2005/06. PLAs include those which would previously have been known as PLPs as well as apprenticeships, funded through the work based learning funding route, where the learners concerned are not yet employed. This change was made to provide a clear means to determine eligibility for education maintenance allowance (EMA). PLAs are not a substitute for employer led apprenticeships, which remains the preferred route for apprentices. They exist to enable young people who are not yet able to start an apprenticeship to study those elements of an apprenticeship that are able to be achieved outside an employed situation.
	In 2005/06, using the criteria for PLAs under EMA, data from the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) shows 24,580 (rounded to the nearest 10) learners starting a programme led apprenticeship; 12.3 per cent. of total starts on apprenticeships.
	Information on learners who participated in programme-led pathways and progressed to (i) a work-based learning programme and (ii) a further education programme is not readily available. To calculate the volumes progressing to mainstream provision would require a significant resource in terms of analyst time and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Building Schools for the Future Programme: Private Finance Initiative

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of the total contract value PFI credits are normally expected to cover in cases where local authorities are allocated Private Finance Initiative credits for Building Schools for the Future contracts.

Jim Knight: PFI is the preferred route for funding new build projects within the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. Through work with Pathfinder and Wave 1 local authorities the level of PFI credits has been set at a rate whereby authorities may be expected to provide an additional contribution to their PFI projects, which DFES expect to be affordable. Each BSF project is unique and some local authorities seek to include elements/services outside of the scope of what DFES will fund for BSF. As a result, the contribution made by individual local authorities varies by project and the proportion of the total contract value which is expected to be funded through PFI credits will vary.

Children: Protection

Jane Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what mechanisms his Department has in place to ensure that  (a) local authorities and  (b) children's trusts ensure that calls to report child protection concerns are referred on to the appropriate agency with the appropriate level of urgency;
	(2)  what statutory time limits are in place within which an  (a) local authority and  (b) children's trust must respond to a call reporting child protection concerns from (i) a member of the public, (ii) schools, (iii) the police and (iv) other local authority child protection agencies;
	(3)  what measures are in place to ensure that local authorities record the number of calls to children's services to report child protection concerns.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer s 21 June 2007
	 All organisations that work with children share a commitment to safeguard and promote their welfare, and for many organisations that is underpinned by a statutory duty or duties. Local authorities that are children's services authorities have a number of specific duties to organise and plan services and to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Children's trusts are local area partnership arrangements, underpinned by the Children Act 2004 duty to cooperate, for bringing together key agencies which deliver services for children young people and their families.
	Section 11 of the Children Act 2004 places a duty on key people and bodies to make arrangements to ensure that their functions are discharged with regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. The application of this duty will vary according to the nature of each agency and its functions.
	Councils with local authority children's social services functions have particular responsibilities towards all children whose health or development may be impaired without the provision of services, or who are disabled (defined in the Children Act 1989 as children 'in need'). They should agree, with LSCB partners, criteria with local services and professionals as to when it is appropriate to make a referral to local authority children's social care in respect of a child in need. They should also agree the format for making a referral and sharing the information recorded.
	Professionals who phone local authority children's social care should confirm referrals in writing with 48 hours. The Common Assessment Framework provides a structure for the written referral. At the end of any discussion or dialogue about a child, the referrer (whether a professional or a member of the public or family) and local authority children's social care should be clear about proposed action, timescales and who will be taking it, or that no further action will be taken. The decision should be recorded by local authority children's social care and by the referrer (if a professional in another service). Local authority children's social care should acknowledge a written referral within one working day of receiving it. If the referrer has not received an acknowledgement within three working days, they should contact the local authority children's social care again.
	Local authority children's social care should decide and record next steps of action within one working day. This information should be consistent with the information set out in the Referral and Information Record (Department of Health, 2002). This decision should normally follow discussion with any referring professional/service and consideration of information held in any existing records, and involve discussion with other professionals and services as necessary (including the police, where a criminal offence may have been committed against a child). This initial consideration of the case should addresson the basis of the available evidencewhether there are concerns about with the child's health and development or actual and/or potential harm that justifies and initial assessment to establish whether this child is possibly a child in need. Further action may also include referral to other agencies, the provision of advice or information, or no further action.
	All child protection conferences, both initial and review, should have a dedicated person to take notes and produce a record of the meeting. The record of the conference is a crucial working document for all relevant professionals and the family. Cases where s47 inquiries do not result in the substantiation of referral concerns should be retained in accordance with agency retention policies. These policies should ensure that records are stored safely and can be retrieved promptly and efficiently.

Departments: Aviation

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many flights to overseas destinations were taken by  (a) civil servants and  (b) Ministers in his Department in each of the last three calendar years; and what the total cost of such flights was.

Bill Rammell: Since 1999 the Government have published, on an annual basis, the total costs of all ministerial overseas travel and a list of all visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of 500. This information is available in the Library of the House. Information for the financial year 2006-07 is currently being compiled and will be published before the summer recess. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Travel and Travel by Ministers.
	Information requested on overseas travel undertaken by civil servants across the whole Department is not held centrally and could be provided only by incurring disproportionate cost.

Departments: Official Visits

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which destinations he visited in an official capacity between 17 May and 17 June.

Alan Johnson: During the dates specified, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has visited the following places in the UK in an official capacity.
	
		
			  Date visited  Destination 
			 21 May Bristol 
			 23 May Birmingham 
			 31 May Belfast 
			 8 June Leicester 
		
	
	Since 1999 the Government have published, on an annual basis, the total costs of all ministerial overseas travel and a list of all visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of 500. This information is available in the House Library. Information for the financial year 2006-07 is currently being compiled and will be published before the summer recess. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.

GCSE: Standards

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in how many maintained mainstream schools less than  (a) 50 per cent.,  (b) 30 per cent.,  (c) 25 per cent. and  (d) 10 per cent. of pupils achieved five A* to C grades at GCSE including English, maths and science at GCSE in the last school year for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, figures for all maintained schools can be found in the House of Commons Library in the reply to PQ 133245.
	Information on the achievements of pupils in schools can be found in the achievement and attainment tables and published statistics which are available in the Library, and on the Department's website at http://www.dfes.gov.uk/performancetables/ and http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000702/index.shtml

Nursery Schools: Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many nursery school places were available in West Lancashire in  (a) 1996-97 and  (b) 2006-07.

Beverley Hughes: The available information is shown in the tables.
	Table 1 provides information about the part-time equivalent number of free early education places filled by three and four-year-olds in West Lancashire parliamentary constituency area. Data is provided for 2006 only because data are not available at constituency level for 1997.
	
		
			  Table 1: Part-time equivalent number of free early education places( 1, 2, 3)  filled by three and four year olds in West Lancashire parliamentary constituency, position in January 2006area 
			   3-year- olds  4-year- olds 
			   Maintained nursery and primary schools( 4)  Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers( 5)  Total 3- year - olds  Maintained nursery and primary schools( 4)  Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers( 5)  Total 3- year - olds 
			 2006 380 480 850 850 180 1,000 
			 (1) A place is equal to five or more sessions and can be filled by more than one child. (2) Figures are rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1,000 and to the nearest 10 otherwise. (3) Prior to 2004, information on early education places was derived from returns made by local authorities as part of the Nursery Education Grant (NEG) data collection exercise. These data were collected at local authority level, therefore, data for this parliamentary constituency for 1996-97 is not available. (4) Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the School Census. (5) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the School Census. (6) Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the School Census. (7) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the School Census. 
		
	
	Table 2 provides information for 2007 about the part-time equivalent number of free early education places filled by three and four year olds for Lancashire local authority area.
	
		
			  Table 2: Part-time equivalent number of free early education places( 1, 2)  filled by three and four year olds in Lancashire local authority area, position in January 2007 
			   3 year olds  4 year olds 
			   Maintained nursery and primary schools( 3)  Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers( 4)  Total 3-year-olds  Maintained nursery and primary schools( 5)  Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers( 6)  Total 4-year-olds 
			 2007 3,700 7,200 10,800 9,100 2,600 11,700 
			 (1) A place is equal to five or more sessions and can be filled by more than one child. (2) Figures are rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1,000 and to the nearest 10 otherwise. (3) Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the School Census. (4) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the School Census. (5) Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the School Census. (6) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the School Census. 
		
	
	The latest figures on early education places for three and four-year-olds in England were published in Statistical First Release (SFR) 19/2007 Provision for children under five years of age in England: January 2007, available on my Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/.

Primary Education: Voluntary Work

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what schemes exist for unpaid volunteers or other unpaid helpers to provide support or one-to-one help in primary schools.

Jim Knight: We encourage schools to draw on the services of parents and other volunteers through strong links with parents, the local community and others. We know that schools receive a vast amount of help through parents giving up their time. We do not collect data from schools about this sort of activity. The specific schemes or organisations which we support are:
	Volunteer Reading Help a charity which places trained volunteers in primary schools to help young disadvantaged children with reading.
	The Workers Educational Association (WEA) makes a valuable contribution to training parents who left school with few or no qualifications as classroom volunteers.
	The National Literacy Trust (which delivers the National Reading Campaign) provides a list of voluntary organisations who work with schools.

Private Finance Initiative: Finance

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the value is of the unitary payments of each private finance initiative scheme overseen by his Department over the lifetime of the contract expressed in 2007-08 prices and discounted to present value.

Jim Knight: Information on schools private finance initiative contracts, including balance sheet treatment and unitary charges, is included in HM Treasury's PFI Signed Projects List, which is available through:
	www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/documents/public_private_partnerships/ppp_pfi_stats
	This is a working document containing information on current signed PFI projects. It is updated on a 6-monthiy basis to reflect the updates HM Treasury receives from Departments at Budget and pre-Budget report.

Pupils: Hyperactivity

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what steps he has taken to provide students affected by attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with an education programme which meets their particular needs;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues in the Department of Health on research and best practices in the treatment of young people affected by attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Parmjit Dhanda: Schools must have regard to the SEN Code of Practice (2001). The Code recognises four main areas of Special Educational Need (SEN). These include (i) cognition and learning (ii) behavioural, emotional and social development (iii) communication and interaction and (iv) sensory and/or physical needs. Pupils with a range of difficulties including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) fall within the overall descriptor of BESD.
	The monitoring of individual children's progress is set out in the Code through the graduated approach. This is a model of action and intervention in schools and early years education settings to help children who have SEN. The approach recognises that there is a continuum of special educational needs and that, where necessary, increasing specialist expertise should be brought to bear on the difficulties that a child may be experiencing. The graduated approach is applicable to the identification, assessment and provision for children and young people with BESD. Chapters 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the Code explain in detail, this approach and the additional support that may be needed at School Action and School Action Plus.
	Although research and best practice in the medical treatment of children with ADHD falls to the Department of Health (DH), Ministers from DfES and DH meet regularly to discuss how outcomes for the physical, mental and emotional health of children and young people can be improved.

Research: Israel

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many UK-Israel research collaborations are supported by  (a) EU and  (b) European Science Foundation funding; and what the value is of such funding.

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
	The European Commission is responsible for providing member states with data on the implementation of the Framework Programme. The Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) covered the years 2003 to 2007. The latest FP6 data provided by the European Commission covers all projects where a contract has been signed up to July 2006. The data provided by the Commission shows that there were 262 signed contracts where there were participants from both the UK and Israel. These contracts have been awarded funding of 1.5 billion.
	The European Science Foundation (ESF) UK member organisations are the seven Research Councils and the British Academy. ESF does not provide information on research collaborations to members; this is not part of their reporting procedures.

Schools: Standards

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the reliability of the formula used to calculate the contextual value added measure of a school's performance; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what discussions his Department has had with teaching unions on the calculation of the contextual valued added measure of schools' performance.

Jim Knight: The formula used to calculate the contextual value added (CVA) measures was developed over a number of years, initially taking advice from leading academics in the field and then refining the models through close consultation with schools, local authorities and teacher unions. All supported the introduction of CVA and we continue to maintain close links with schools, local authorities and their unions on the use of CVA and how the model might be further refined. Many of the changes made to the model through the development years were brought about thanks to the contribution of schools and their representative bodies.
	This has produced a formula which estimates the contribution each school makes to its pupils' attainment, taking account of each pupil's starting point and a broad range of contextual factors which are shown to affect progress and for which consistent national data is available. The formula is widely accepted by schools as providing a fairer basis for comparison of schools than either raw statistics of attainment or un-contextualised value added.
	The formula for each key stage is calculated each year based on the actual attainment of the entire national cohort of over half a million pupils, and has been found to be very stable year-on-year in terms of the effects of particular factors such as deprivation, which indicates its robustness. A paper produced by the DfES for the OECD Project on the Development of Value-Added Models in Education Systems discusses some of the more technical aspects of the model and addresses both the advantages and disadvantages of the chosen approach. This is available on the Department's Research and Statistics website.
	Development work continues each year to refine the models, including implementing any necessary changes arising from the evaluation of each pilot and taking account of improved sources of data as they become available.

Vocational Training

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the per capita cost is of each qualification gained under  (a) the Train to Gain programme since its inception and  (b) the Employer Training Pilot programme in each region of England.

Phil Hope: Train to Gain is a major new service that will raise skill levels and the quality of training across England. It commenced in the 20 Learning and Skills Council (LSC) areas covered by the former Employer Training Pilots (ETPs) from April 2006, and reached full coverage across England in August 2006. Full operational capacity will not be reached till the end of 2007-08 from which point we expect it to deliver 175,000 first full Level 2 achievements per year. As at the end of April 2007 over 40,000 employers had engaged with Train to Gain, 154,290 employees had commenced training and 32,800 learners had achieved a first full Level 2 qualification.
	Train to Gain offers employers a holistic service. Independent and impartial skills brokers help employers understand and meet their business needs. In some cases this can mean directly helping the employer in upskilling their workforce to gain basic skills and a range of qualifications from basics skills, such as literacy and numeracy to higher education qualifications. Skills Brokers also help employers identify potential sources of public funding, but also any likely contribution from employers, including paid time off for the individual to undertake the training. If the business need goes much wider than LSC funded provision, the Skills Broker will refer the employer to other services such as Jobcentre Plus, Investors in People, and Business Link for more general business advice as well as business to business networks. To-date, more than 12,000 such referrals have been made to non training destinations.
	It is therefore not possible to calculate a per capita cost per qualification that takes account of this added value of the Train to Gain service. We will, however, continue to develop more accurate methods of determining the gross added value of the service as a whole.